


Another Chance

by merelysherlocked



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Artist!Steve, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Endgame Fix-It, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Slow Burn, Steve is oblivious but he is trying his best, SteveTony, Tony and Steve really need to work on their communication skills, art classes, endgame stevetony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-02-26 19:16:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 43,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18723265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merelysherlocked/pseuds/merelysherlocked
Summary: A fix-it fic for the end of Endgame.This story focuses on what would happen if what happened to Tony didn't happen and Steve didn't go back in time to marry Peggy. Would they get together? Or would they continue on their separate ways?





	1. Present

One moment, the battle was going well. They were winning; Thanos’ armies were retreating and they had the gauntlet. The next moment, Thanos and Tony were in the middle of the field, battling each other for the gauntlet. At least, that’s what Steve thought he saw – his vision was fuzzy after being knocked out. 

“Dammit,” he muttered as he got up. How long had be been out for? 

He ran over to where Tony was battling Thanos. 

“Tony, don’t give up, I’m on my way-,” Steve said into the communicator Tony had given all of them.

“I can’t wait that long, Steve. I need to get this off of him now. You know that he can’t use it again.” 

“Tony, please, wait.” 

“We don’t have much time…I can’t wait once I get it.” 

His legs were burning, but Steve forced himself to run faster. He had to get there. He refused to let Tony go at this alone. Allow him to face Thanos alone. Last time they weren’t together…he wouldn’t let them be apart now. No, not after everything. 

Tony kicked Thanos as he tried to pull the gauntlet away from him. The purple titan laughed at him and punched Tony’s chest, sending him flying into a large piece of debris that was lying against a tree. 

“Tony!” Steve called. 

“It-it’s okay, Steve. I’m okay.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” 

Steve didn’t know how that was possible though, seeing as Thanos still had the gauntlet.

“I am inevitable,” he said, smirking. “You cannot stop this.” 

The titan snapped his fingers, but nothing happened. Tony smirked and held up his hand. The Infinity Stones appeared on the back of his hand. His armor appeared around his hand and forearm to create a gauntlet. The infinity stones slid into the gauntlet.  
Steve paused, unable to shake the sight before him. His breath caught in his throat. 

“T-Tony, you can’t do this.” 

“We have to win.” 

From across the field, Tony’s gaze met Steve’s. Steve shook his head. 

“You told me that you had to do the last fight alone. I won’t let you do that again.”

Steve forced his legs to work again. He ran across the field, sprinting as quickly as he could. Five yards away - 

“I’m not doing it alone – you’re right here.”

“You know that’s not what I mean, Tony-”

Three yards away - 

“We don’t have time for this. I have to do this-”

Tony held up his hand and stared Thanos down. 

“I am Iron Man.”

Steve’s breath caught in his throat. No. No. He couldn’t do this. Not after everything. One yard. Once Tony snapped his fingers, he wouldn’t be able to stop the stones from tearing Tony apart. He wasn’t going to get there in time. He wasn’t going to be able to save him. He’d let Tony down, once again. 

He sucked in a breath; no, that couldn’t happen. They just got back together; they still had so much to talk about. And he had made a promise. He kicked off of the ground, closing the distance between Tony and him. He grabbed Tony’s other hand just as he snapped his fingers. The energy of the stones surged through Tony, making the man collapse against the rock. His eyes slid closed. The energy from the stones found its way to Steve, weaving through him. He gritted his teeth as he held in a scream. He didn’t let his hand leave Tony’s. He wouldn’t let Tony do this alone. Pain surged through him, making his vision blurry. A scream left his mouth.

Darkness clouded his vision and before he knew what was happening, the world went dark. Steve slouched next to Tony, his head inches away from his.


	2. Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This happens about 2 months before Thanos attacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter; here's the next one!!

After that…incident, Steve had to get some fresh air. He didn’t know much about time travel, but he was sure that having Scott coming back as various different ages was not what should have happened. He leaned against the column of the building and stared out into the grass field in front of him. If they couldn’t get time traveling sorted out…then all of this would be for nothing. They would be right back where they started. 

A car turning into the facility’s driveway caused Steve to glance up. It was a black car, and it was turning around the corner much faster than it should’ve been. Of course, there was only one person who would take that turn so recklessly and still manage to be on the road. But…after their last encounter, Steve doubted that it would be him. 

The black car pulled in front of Steve, going a bit too far, before reversing and parking right in front of him. The window rolled down, revealing Tony Stark furrowing his eyebrows at him.  
“Why the long face?” 

“We had a problem.”

“Your time travel attempt didn’t work?” 

“Not exactly.”

Tony smirked and got out of the car. “Well, that’s why I’m here. To lend my services, if you still need them.”

“Yes, we need them,” he said before he realized how quickly he had responded. Well…that sounded desperate. But…they were. Now that they had a chance of reversing what had happened, they had to fix it. They had to at least try fixing it. 

“I thought so. So, I was playing in my lab and I came up with this.” Tony held up his hand which had a bracelet wrapped around his palm, with a small circular screen in the middle. The date, time, and location was on the screen. “It’s a time-travel GPS. It allows you to travel to the location and date of your choosing.” 

Steve’s gaze flicked to the device before it shifted back to Tony. Of course he had figured it out. Of course he had. Tony thrived on these sorts of challenges – he loved proving that they weren’t impossible to solve. Steve grinned at Tony. He had actually done it. 

“I found that resentment is corrosive…I much rather go without it,” Tony said. 

Steve stared at him for a moment, unsure why Tony was mentioning this. He rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Me too.” 

“I’d like to help…but I don’t want to lose anything that I have…and would, you know, I would like not to die.” 

“I guess you have a deal, then.” 

Steve put his hand out; Tony stared at it for a moment before shaking it. He turned on his heel and gestured for Steve to follow him to the trunk. He popped it open and took something that Steve had thought that he would never see again: his shield. A lump formed in his throat. 

“This is for you.” Tony said, handing it to Steve. 

Steve took a step back and held up his hands. 

“I can’t take this, Tony.” 

“Why not? I made it for you.” 

Steve’s gaze flicked to Tony’s face. “You know why.” 

“Well…I made it for you. May as well take it.” 

He held it as Steve slid his arm through the shield’s straps. It was lighter than his old one, but...besides that, it felt the same. Better, actually. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why. 

“Thank you, Tony,” Steve said; tears stung his eyes. 

“No need to thank me-”

He was cut off by Steve wrapping his arms around Tony, pulling him closer to him. He buried his face into the crook of Tony’s neck. 

“I love it.”

For a moment, Steve thought Tony was going to push him away, tell him that he hadn’t forgiven him yet. But then he felt Tony’s arms around his waist, pulling him closer to him. 

“I’m glad that you do. After all, I did make it for you.” 

“I me-”

Tony pulled away and smoothed out his shirt. “I think we should go inside…we have a lot of work to do.” 

Steve frowned at him; just like that, the distance was back between them. Just like that, it seemed like they were when Steve had gone to his house, practically begging him to help them. 

“R-right, of course.” 

He put the shield in the case that Tony gaze him. He zipped it up before he took Tony’s bag out of the trunk and followed him into the facility. He stared at Tony’s back. He was here. He had come back. Yeah, it was only because he had figured out time travel, but he had come back. Finally, Tony was home.


	3. Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this story! Here is the next chapter. Hope you like it!

The beeping of the heart monitor caused Steve to wake. He groaned as his body lit up in pain; it felt like someone had burned half of his body. Blinking a few times, the room came into view. He was lying on a bed, a heart monitor on his right side. Sunlight poured in through the white blinds that adorned the window. On his left, there was a chair. A man with short brown hair sat in in it; cuts marked the side of his face. His head was tilted downwards, his gaze focused on the book that was sat on his lap. 

“Bucky,” he said, voice hoarse. 

Bucky nearly jumped out of his chair; he slammed the book shut and looked at Steve.

“Don’t do that.” 

“What, speak?”

“You startled me.” 

Steve let out a hoarse chuckle; he sucked in a breath as knives buried their way into his ribs. 

“What happened?” he asked.

“We won.” 

Steve bit his lip. “And Tony-?” 

“He’s fine, Steve. A little banged up, but besides that, fine.” 

Steve let out a breath. The tension that had riddled its way into his muscles disappeared. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards. 

“So we actually did it.” 

Together, just like he had promised Tony. It didn’t happen exactly the way Steve had planned, but…well, they had won. They had saved the earth once again. Avenged it. 

“You could say that.” 

Steve glanced around the room before his gaze settled back on his childhood friend. 

“When can I leave?” 

Bucky shrugged. “Whenever the nurse tells you you can, I guess. That’s typically how it works.” 

Steve let out a groan. 

“Thank you, Buck, I hadn’t thought about that. But…did she say when?” 

“She said a few hours after you wake up and you’re stable.” 

“I’m fine to go now.”

“No, you’re not. You need to rest.” He placed his hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Tony will still be here when you wake.” 

Steve huffed. But he didn’t want to wait. He had to talk to Tony now. 

“Steve,” Bucky said, gaze still on him. “Rest.” 

Sighing, Steve slid his way down the mattress again. He shifted this way and that, trying to get comfortable. 

“If he’s not here when I wake-”

“Sleep.” 

He rolled his eyes. He didn’t need sleep, didn’t want sleep. He could sleep later. His body seemed to think differently, though; a few minutes later, Steve slipped off into a dreamless sleep. 

 

 

 

 

Steve wasn’t sure how much time had passed the next time he woke up. All he knew was that it was day (given the sunlight pouring in through the blinds) and that the spot beside his bed was taken by someone else: Natasha. 

“Look who’s up,” she said, smiling broadly at him. 

“It’s been a rough week…and apparently I need the sleep.”

“Yes, you do.” 

“I’m fine, Nat,” he said. 

“You took in the energy of those infinity stones…you are not fine.” 

“Bucky said that I should be discharged soon.” He glanced around. “Speaking of Bucky, where is he?”

“Getting coffees with Sam and Rhodey.” 

Steve wanted to say that they didn’t all need to be here, but he knew that wouldn’t make them leave. 

“How long have I been out for?” 

“Since the battle, you mean? Three days. You woke up briefly yesterday.” 

He stared at her, lips parted. He couldn’t believe that he had been out for that long. 

“I’m sor-,” Steve began to say.

“For what, healing?” 

“Yes.”

Natasha rolled her eyes; she glanced around the room before looking back at him. 

“Bucky told me that you were asking about Tony…he’s awake now.” 

Steve jolted up; his ribs screamed in pain, but he didn’t care. 

“Can I see him?”


	4. Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting! Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

When Tony returned, it seemed like the Avengers never split apart. That Tony and Steve had never been apart. Well. It almost seemed that way. Tony didn’t seem to initiate conversations except for when they were planning their mission, which was called “Time Heist”. Steve hated the fact that they weren’t talking like they used to. They used to seek each other out to talk, but now…it seemed like Tony was just avoiding him. Steve wanted to talk to him about his past behavior and apologize for what had happened seven years ago, but he never was able to find the time. 

Whenever Steve tried to talk about this with Natasha, she just told him that he was avoiding talking to Tony and he had to talk to him. It wasn’t that he was purposely avoiding the topic. It was just that…if he talked to Tony, there was a chance that Tony would not want to hear what hear what he would have to say. Or, he could accept his apology, but things between them could stay the same. He tried to express that fear to Nat, but she always said that he had to talk to him. 

A few weeks after Tony returned, Steve barely slept. He kept on thinking about when he should talk to Tony, what he should say to him. After eight nights of barely any sleep, Steve finally decided that he just had to talk to Tony. He wouldn’t be getting any more sleep until he did. 

That morning, Steve went to the kitchen around five. He buzzed around the kitchen, preparing pancakes, sausages, and coffee. Otherwise known as Tony’s favorite breakfast. Now, there was a chance that Tony wouldn’t eat breakfast if he wanted to get to work straight away, but he figured that he could always bring him breakfast if he didn’t stop by the kitchen first. 

Steve had just finished placing some butter and syrup on the kitchen island when Tony walked into the kitchen. Steve couldn’t help but stare at him – he was wearing pajama bottoms, a NASA t-shirt, and his hair was ruffled. Tony ran a hand through his hair, smoothing some of it down. 

“Morning, Tony,” Steve said, smiling sheepishly at him. 

“Aren’t you normally running at this time?” 

“Yes.” Steve turned around to get a mug that he knew was one of Tony’s favorites. “But I decided to make breakfast instead.” He placed the mug next to the coffee maker. “Pancakes and sausages – your favorite.” 

Tony cocked his head to the side and glanced at the stack of pancakes that was behind Steve. 

“Are any of them burnt?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Now, would I serve you burnt pancakes?”

“You did before. Remember?” 

“Come on, that was a mistake…I had just been out of the ice for a short amount of time, I wasn’t used to cooking again.” 

“That’s the story, anyways,” Tony said. 

He brushed past Steve and grabbed a plate next to the stack of pancakes. He put some on his plate before glancing over his shoulder, his eyebrows raised, as if asking a question. 

“They’re fine, Tony. I’m not trying to poison you or anything.” 

Tony narrowed his eyes but continued walking along the kitchen island, putting some sausages on his plate before pouring syrup over the pancakes. He served himself some coffee and took a seat at the table. The corner of Steve’s mouth quirked upwards; he had been worried that Tony would eat in his lab, but he supposed that he hadn’t needed to worry about that. Steve served himself and made his way over to the table; he took a seat opposite Tony. 

They ate their breakfast in silence for a few minutes, each one of them lost in thought. Steve glanced over at Tony every few seconds before he pushed away his plate and cleared his throat. 

“Tony,” he said softly. His heart hammered in his chest. 

“Yeah?” Tony asked, without looking up. 

Steve ran a hand through his blonde hair. 

“I…well, I wanted to talk to you.” 

“I figured as much.” 

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. All of the words that he wanted to say raced around in his mind, begging to be the first ones out: I’m sorry, Tony. I never wanted to hurt you, Tony. You’re so important to me…you’re my best friend. Which phrase to say first though, he had no idea. He took a sip of his water and placed it on the table. He kept his gaze on the table. 

“I’ve noticed that things have been different between us since we’ve reunited,” Steve said. 

“Of course.” Steve’s eyebrows furrowed at that. “That whole…incident happened.” Tony waved his fork around. 

Steve recoiled back into his chair. He glanced down at the table, unable to meet Tony’s gaze. To hear him refer to what happened between them as ‘the incident’ and not by what it actually was, made his heart break. He thought that with their conversation a few weeks back, Tony had forgiven him or moved past what had happened…but apparently that wasn’t the case. Not that he could blame Tony for feeling the way he did. 

“I know it did,” Steve said, voice soft. “I didn’t mean for that to happen the way it did…I didn’t mean to make any of this happen.” 

Tony let out a short laugh. “You told me that we’d do it together. Battle together.” 

“I know,” Steve said. 

“You left me to handle Thanos on my own – without you. We didn’t battle together like you promised.” 

Even though Tony had said similar things before, it hurt more this time. To know that he created the pain in Tony’s eyes made his stomach churn, made his heart feel as though someone threw knives into it. 

“I know,” Steve said again. What more could he say? 

“I trusted you. You know that, right? I _trusted_ you.” 

Steve felt like the wind had got kicked out of him. The word trusted echoed in his mind. Even though they were reunited, Tony still didn’t trust him. Tears pricked Steve’s eyes. 

“I-I know,” he said, voice weak. 

“You knew how hard trusting is for me…yet you threw that trust right back into my face.” 

And that was the moment that Steve broke. Tears sprang from his eyes, creating tracks down his cheeks. He couldn’t believe that he did this, made Tony this hurt. Yes, he had thought that not signing the Accords was right. But…if he had known that it would’ve caused Tony this much hurt, he would’ve acted differently. If he could go back, he would’ve just signed them and helped Tony negotiate some aspects of the Accords. Adjust them in a way that made both of them more comfortable. 

That was the past, though. He couldn’t change anything about what had happened between them now. He got up and walked over to Tony’s side of the table. He wiped the tears that were making their way down his face and sat down in a chair next to Tony. 

“Crying won’t help your cause, Rogers."


	5. Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of the scene from the previous chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! I really hope that you guys enjoy it. Also, thank you so much for taking the time to read this story; it really means a lot to me.

“Tony,” Steve said, his voice barely audible. He wiped his eyes again. “You didn’t have to come here if this is how you felt.” It was probably a dumb thing to say seeing as Tony decided to help out with the mission, but he didn’t know what else to say.

Tony let out a laugh. “Of course I had to help. There was a chance of us reversing the Snap…bring everyone back. I couldn’t just stay on the sidelines.” 

Steve wanted to say that he did that five years ago, but he wasn’t going to bring that up. Even if things had been better between them then, he wouldn’t have wanted Tony to go. He would’ve told him to stay at the facility or go home and get some rest. 

“I appreciate that.” He looked down at his hands. “Tony…my intention was never to hurt you. I never wanted to do that-”

“It didn’t stop you from doing it.” 

Steve winced and stood up. He made his way to the opposite side of the table, across from Tony. He paced back and forth, not knowing what else to do; he couldn’t sit still and talk about this. 

“Please, Tony,” he said, his voice cracking over his name. “I know that I can’t undo what I did. I realize that. But this thing between us…it’s eating away at me.” He paused and looked at him. “To know that I did this to you…to us…to our friendship…I feel awful. I threw away one of the only good things I had.” 

Tony perked up at that. “Only good thing?” 

“I said one of the only good things.” 

Tony shrugged. “Well, don’t stop talking.”

“When I woke up in this century…I didn’t have anyone. You and I didn’t start on the right foot, but after the battle in New York…well, you and I started to talk more. We didn’t see things the same way, but we became friends. Over the years, I became less lost –I felt like I had a home. You gave me a home.” 

A home. That’s what Tony had given him. When he came out of the ice, he had been so lost. He hadn't had any friends. He hadn't had anywhere to really call “home”, but Tony tried to make him more comfortable; he invited him to the Avengers facility and helped teach him more about this century. Sure, their relationship hadn’t always been ‘great’, but Tony still helped him feel more at ease, more welcomed in this century. It was surprising, really, how much their relationship had grown considering how they started out. When he had first joined the Avengers, Tony and him didn’t see eye to eye at all. Steve thought that he was arrogant and selfish. After the battle in New York, though…well, he realized that he was wrong. Tony was so much more than he had originally thought; he was kind, selfless, caring. Sure, knowing that didn’t stop them from bickering, but they at least understood where the other was coming from. They tried to listen to each other, learn from each other. Through the years, Tony had quickly become one of his closest friends, if not his closest friend. 

“A home, huh?” Tony asked, gaze flitting to Steve. 

“Yes.” 

Steve started to pace again. Tony could totally reject him, tell him that he was lying. Tony didn’t reply – he just stared at Steve. 

“I know that I messed up, Tony. I realize that I hurt you. But…I don’t want to mess up again. I lost you for seven years...I don’t want to lose you for more.” Tears threatened to spill over his cheeks again. He swore under his breath. Who knew that talking about this stuff would make him so damn emotional?

“We are working together, you know.” 

Steve sighed. “You know what I mean.” 

Tony’s gaze roamed over Steve’s face, as if trying to figure out if he was lying to him. He sighed and stood up. He walked over to Steve, making Steve pause. Tony smiled softly up at him.

“You make a damn good case, Rogers.” 

Steve bit his lip. 

“And?” Steve asked.

“Let’s give it a shot – this whole…” He waved his hand around; the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. “…being friends thing.”


	6. Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting! Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it!

Right after the nurse informed him that he was free to move, Steve practically ran out of his room. His body still ached, but he didn’t care. He had to see Tony. He rushed down the hallway to a room that was right next to the elevator. He knocked on the door once before walking into the room. Tony was in his bed, his gaze set on the television that was attached to the wall. 

“Tony?” Steve asked, pausing in the middle of the room.

Tony’s turned towards him. A bruise was painted across his right cheek; a cut marked the side of his mouth. The arm that had wielded the gauntlet was on top of the covers, in a sling. Steve’s gaze roamed over his injuries. Somehow, Tony didn’t seem this bad the night of the battle. Seeing him like this made Steve’s stomach churn. 

“That’s my name.” 

Steve walked over to the chair that was beside his bed and sat down. 

“How’re you feeling?” 

“I’ve been better. It’s not pleasant to have the energy of six infinity stones rush through your body.” 

“It certainly isn’t.” Steve glanced at his hands. “You were about to sacrifice yourself.” 

“I thought that it was the only way that we could win.” 

Steve couldn’t scold him for what he did…after all, that was part of the job. But that didn’t mean that he liked what Tony had done, or had been about to do. He sighed deeply.

“Well. I’m glad that you didn’t.”

Tony chuckled. “Me too. Thanks for…helping.” 

“I wasn’t going to let you do it alone.” 

Tony nodded and glanced at the television; the news was playing. The news reporter was talking about families were reuniting after the Vanished had returned. 

“I can’t believe we won,” Tony murmured. 

“Me neither.” 

The odds had seemed so stacked up against them…but somehow they managed to win. Perhaps it was because they were together that helped them win. 

“You weren’t going to say goodbye,” Steve whispered. 

Tony turned his head to look at him. 

“I was talking to you right before it happened.” 

“You know what I mean, Tony,” Steve retorted. 

“I know. It wouldn’t have been the same.” He exhaled softly. “Good thing I didn’t have to say goodbye, huh?” 

Steve was about to say something else, but Pepper and Morgan walked in. Pepper’s eyebrows rose when she saw Steve. Steve shifted in his chair. Right. Of course they’d want to visit Tony- they were his family. 

“Am I interrupting something?” 

“N-no, I was just checking in on him,” Steve said softly. He began to get up, but Morgan rushed over to him. 

“You helped my daddy win, didn’t you?” 

She looked at him with wide eyes. Steve glanced at Tony before looking back Morgan. 

“I did.” 

Morgan grinned up at him and hugged him. “Thank you.” 

It took a second for Steve to react to the hug. Honestly, he hadn’t been expecting it. He felt like he hadn’t done anything compared to Tony. Tony was the one who had risked his life; he had just been the one to try to save him. 

“I was happy to help.” Steve hugged her gently before releasing her. He stood up and took a step towards Tony so he was standing right next to the bed. “I’m glad that you’re okay, Tony.” He squeezed his shoulder – the one that wasn’t injured. 

“Me too, Steve.” 

Steve couldn’t help but smile at Tony saying his name. Over the years, Tony had only called him by it a handful of times. He let his hand fall from his shoulder and turned towards the door. He smiled at Pepper and Morgan before leaving the room, allowing them to spend time together. He wished that his conversation hadn’t gotten cut short, but he knew that Tony had to spend time with his family. After all, they were his family. Sighing, he made his way back to his own room. Although the nurse said that he was free to roam about now, she still wanted him to spend at least one more night here. He walked into his room, finding it empty. Steve wasn’t sure if he should be thankful for that or not. He got back into bed, carefully lying back down. His body screamed in pain as it settled into the mattress. He made a note to ask the nurse about medication when she made her rounds. 

He stared at the ceiling as his thoughts circled back to his encounter with Tony. Well. At least Tony looked okay, all things considered. At least he was alive. That thought helped Steve drift back off to sleep. 

 

The next day, Steve was finally released. When he woke up from his nap after visiting Tony, Natasha and Bucky had visited him. They had spent several hours talking about the battle and what was going to happen now that they had reversed the Snap. Steve told them that he had no idea what he was going to do. He could go back to being an Avenger, but he wasn’t sure if the Avengers would be needed for any missions for a while now that Thanos was defeated. Maybe he’d try to do more art like he always wanted to do; he wasn’t sure. 

Bucky and Natasha, on the other hand, seemed to have plans: they were going to find an apartment in New York City together. He hadn’t realized that they had gotten close so quickly, but apparently they had been dating prior to the Snap and after it…well, they decided that there was no point in trying to take it slowly. The way they looked at each other…well, Steve knew that they were definitely into each other. Sam stopped by briefly to check in on Steve and see how he was feeling. When Steve asked what his plans were, Sam told him that he was going to move back to Washington D.C.. 

After Sam stopped by, Steve kind of had a better idea of what he wanted to do next. The plan wasn’t concrete, but it was something. A bit after Nat and Bucky left, Steve changed into clothes that Natasha had brought with her and made his way down the hallway. When he saw that Tony’s door was open, he poked his head in. Tony was sitting up in bed, a book in hand. Steve knocked on the door; Tony’s head lifted from the book.

“Oh, Steve,” he said, shutting the book. “Finally discharged?” 

Steve padded into the room, stopping a few feet away from Tony’s bed. 

“Yeah. The nurse gave me the all clear a few hours ago, but I was talking to Bucky and Natasha. Did they stop by?”   
“Yeah, they just left a few hours ago. Natasha gave me this book.” He nodded towards his book.” 

“Did you talk to Bucky, too?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to, but Nat insisted. Things were tense between us, but he apologized.” 

“I’m glad that you talked to him, Tony…he felt awful for what he did, even if it wasn’t him.”

Tony nodded. “Nat made that abundantly clear. He did, too.” 

Steve cleared his throat. “Anyways..I…er, just wanted to say bye before I left.” 

“Ah, I appreciate it. Do you have any plans yet?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, actually…I was wondering if I could help rebuild the Avengers facility.” 

“It is called the Avengers facility, Steve…of course you can help rebuild it if you want.”

Steve tucked his hands into his jean pockets. “Are you sure?”

Tony stared at him as if he asked the most ridiculous question he had ever heard. “Of course I’m sure. You’re an Avenger. The leader of the Avengers, in fact.” 

“But it was your building.” 

“Yes, but the rebuilding of it will be in capable hands.” 

Steve’s cheeks grew warm. “Thanks, Tony. I appreciate it.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “When are you getting discharged?” 

“Later today, hopefully. If not today, tomorrow morning.” 

Steve nodded. “What’re your plans? After you’re discharged, I mean.” 

“I’m going to go back home…to Pepper and Morgan.” 

“Ah, right. Well…I’ll guess I’ll see you around, Tony. Remember, I’m always here if you need me.” 

“I know, Steve. I appreciate it…and thank you. For helping me. For getting there in time.” 

A lump formed in Steve’s throat. “Don’t worry about it. You’re my friend…I couldn’t let you do it alone.” 

“Well…still. Thank you.” 

Tony stretched out his good arm and Steve shook his hand. A handshake didn’t seem right, but he knew it was best not to say anything. 

“See you around,” Steve said. 

He turned on his heel and left the room, forcing himself not to turn back around to look at Tony. Although things were better between them, he wasn’t sure when he’d get to see him next. He couldn’t believe how far they had come though. They went from not speaking to each other to being friends again. As he walked down the hall, his thoughts roamed back to that one night when neither of them could sleep, so they ended up staying up almost all night together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you liked this chapter! Feel free to leave kudos or a comment if you want.


	7. Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback to pre-time heist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it.

Steve had just turned on the tea kettle when he heard footsteps coming from the entrance of the kitchen. He glanced over his shoulder. 

“What are you doing up?” 

Tony shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep. How long have you been up?”

“I came down here about ten minutes ago,” Steve replied. “Tea?” 

“Sure.” 

Nodding, Steve grabbed another mug from the cabinet and put it on the counter. Not knowing what to say, he focused his gaze on his feet. Despite the fact that they had made up about a week ago, things had still been awkward between the two of them. He supposed that things were less awkward than they had been…but things still weren’t back to the way things used to be, prior to the Avengers splitting up. They weren’t the way Steve wanted them to be. Maybe that was silly of him to think, but since they had made up, the blonde thought that was a reasonable thing to want. After a few moments of silence, Steve looked at Tony, who was staring at a space near Steve’s feet. 

“You know, when I was on the run…I thought I’d never be back here again,” Steve said. Why he was saying this, he had no idea. He just had to say something, and this was something that he had wanted to tell him for a while now. Steve rubbed his neck. “I…wanted to come back here, but when you didn’t call after a year, I figured that I wouldn’t be seeing this place again.” That I wouldn’t be seeing you again.

Tony looked at him. “Don’t blame me for that.” 

Steve’s eyebrows knitted together. No, no, that wasn’t his point. He wasn’t blaming Tony for not calling him. He understood why he didn’t. 

“Tony…I know why you didn’t call me. I’m just saying…I thought I’d never be home again.” He gestured around them. “It’s nice to be back.” 

Tony’s expression softened a bit and he moved closer to Steve so they were only about a few feet away from each other. 

“You were really on the run until Thanos came, weren’t you?” Tony asked. 

“Well...yeah. I actually came back here though when I heard that you were missing. I didn’t know what to do, but I knew with you gone…someone would need to lead the fight here. I wasn’t sure if we should come here though.” Tony’s lips pursed into a thin line. “Sorry, I don’t mean to bring this up, I can change the topic.” He knew that Tony didn’t like talking about what happened on Titan, which he understood. Losing Peter had been devastating for him. 

“No, it’s…fine.” 

“Tony, I don’t have to talk about it. I can change the topic.” 

Tony’s gaze flitted to his face. “No, I want you to talk about it.”

Steve nodded. 

“And then we got a call from Bruce- he called us using the phone I gave you.” He bit his lip. “So we decided to go back here and we figured out a plan. After that we went to Wakanda…and well, you know the rest.” 

Tony nodded just as the tea kettle went off. Steve padded over to the kettle and turned it off. He poured the water into each mug and put a tea bag in for each of them– chamomile for him and –

“Cinnamon spice for me,” Tony said. 

Steve smiled to himself as he reached a packet of tea on the counter; they liked to keep various teas on the counter. “I know…I haven’t forgotten.” 

He remembered when Tony first told him that he liked to drink cinnamon tea when he couldn’t sleep one night. They had just worked a long mission and both of them were wired. So, Steve had suggested that he make each of them tea to help them sleep. He was going to make them both chamomile, but Tony had said he wanted cinnamon. Steve was concerned about that because the tea had caffeine in it, but Tony said that he was sure that he wanted the tea when he saw Steve hesitating. After that…well, Steve couldn’t forget his drink of choice. 

“Really?” 

“Of course I haven’t forgotten,” Steve said softly.

He handed Tony his mug before grabbing his own and walking to the couch. Tony followed him, taking a seat on the other side, a seat cushion between them. 

“You really kept that phone on you for two years?” Tony asked, as if Steve’s words from just a few moments ago had finally sunk in. 

“Of course I did.” 

Tony looked at him, really looked at him. Steve hadn’t seen him look at him like that in well…ages. It was the look Tony used to get when he surprised him. The brunette’s facial expression softened. 

“You weren’t lying,” Tony breathed. 

“In my letter?” Steve let out a short laugh. “No…I wasn’t. I knew that I had messed up…but I still cared about you, Tony. I wanted you to know that I would be there for you whenever you needed me.” 

Steve hadn’t been surprised that Tony hadn’t wanted to call him, though. He hadn’t expected him to when he had given him that phone; he had just hoped that he would eventually use it. 

“I can’t believe you kept it.”

“I was hoping that you would call me.”

Tony’s gaze settled on his mug. He ran his thumb along the rim of it. 

“I never went anywhere without it, to be honest,” Tony said. “Over the first year, I had no desire to call you, but I still kept it with me.”

“Really?” 

Tony nodded. “Yes. I was upset with you, but I didn’t know if I would ever need you, so I kept it with me.”

“Did you want to call me?” Steve’s heart thundered in his chest. Tony had actually kept the phone with him. Carried it around with him. He couldn’t believe it. He thought that he’d throw it into a drawer or something. He took a sip of his tea and tried to focus on the way it tasted and not what Tony’s answer would be. 

“Near the end of the second year…yeah, I did. I was just, ah, worried that you wouldn’t want to hear from me.”

Steve’s gaze flicked to him. “Of course I wanted to hear from you.” 

Tony chuckled. “Well, I know that now.” 

Steve nodded and both of them fell quiet for a few minutes, each of them nursing their tea. The blonde glanced at Tony. 

“I missed you, Tony.” 

He missed him more than he could probably ever express to the man. Even their bickering, he had missed. Before Tony could respond, Steve put his mug on the table and wrapped his arms around Tony, pulling him close to him. He buried his head into the crook of his neck like he used to, before all of this, and wrapped his arms more tightly around him. 

“I missed you too, Steve,” Tony whispered.


	8. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter but I hope you enjoy it!

Steve smiled softly at the memory. After that night, things had seemed to finally heal between them. Things obviously didn’t get better right away, but they started to talk more and hang out more. Steve would go to Tony’s lab to see what he was up to, they’d watch movies together in the family room, and sometimes they’d even cooked together. They didn’t cook together often, but when they weren’t both busy before dinner time and the other Avengers were starving, they’d make their way to the kitchen to make food for everyone. Most of those things weren’t very exciting, but after not seeing each other in so long, the daily tasks were welcomed. 

He walked out of the hospital and hailed a cab. He wasn’t sure where to go, so he told the cab driver to take him to his old apartment - the one he had prior to Scott telling them about the quantum realm and time travel. When he arrived at the apartment building, he walked in and nodded to the security guard at the front desk (who always told Steve that he didn’t understand why he was protecting him when he was Captain America) before going up to his apartment. 

His apartment wasn’t very big, but it was big enough for Steve. He probably could’ve gotten a bigger one, but he didn’t really need a lot of space. All he needed was a space where he could eat, sleep, and feel at home. He shut the door behind him and padded over to the family room. The family room was pretty simple: it had a couch, coffee table, television, and bookcases on either side of the television. The bookcases were appallingly empty of books, but Steve had been working on trying to get more. Tony had given him a list of books to read a couple of years back and Steve was still trying to make his way through it. So far, all of the books that he had recommended hadn’t disappointed him. 

He rocked back and forth on his heels, unsure of what to do. It was odd to be back here after being at the Avengers facility, with everyone. Even when they hadn’t been planning the mission, there always had been something to do. He had lived here longer than he had there over the last couple of years, but the place didn’t feel as much like home as it used to. But…it wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go now. The Avengers facility wasn’t standing anymore. Tony’s place was off-limits now that he had a family. Well, maybe it wasn’t, but he wouldn’t intrude on them, not now. Not to mention that he was still at the hospital. Frowning, he walked to his bedroom and shut the door behind him. He sat down on the bed and stared at the wall. He had spent the last day or so wanting to get out of the hospital that he didn’t really think of what he’d do once he got out of it. Sure, he knew that he wanted to rebuild the Avengers facility, but what was he supposed to do besides that? 

The answer seemed obvious, but for some reason, Steve just didn’t like it. He didn’t want to go back to the way things were before they had a plan to undo the Snap. Obviously, there was always avenging but he doubted that there would be many cases for them for a while. The world was still finding its footing; it would be a while before any trouble started to brew. Guess that left no choice then. He’d just…have to adapt. He had to once, he could do it again. At least until he could start fighting again. And, well, at least Tony and him were on speaking terms now. He could always talk to him. 

Smiling a little to himself, Steve got back up and headed to the kitchen to make himself a late lunch. Yeah, he could definitely adapt. 

 

 

 

About a week later, Steve had barely heard anything from Tony. Tony had texted him when he got discharged, but that was it. There were no “we should get together” or “let’s meet so we can go over the plans for the new Avengers facility” messages. Steve tried not to let the lack of texts get to him, but he couldn’t help it. He knew that Tony had a family, but he thought that he would at least want to stay in contact with Steve. Maybe Steve had been misreading things, though. Maybe they were friends, but not nearly as close as Steve thought that had become. Steve bit his lip as he landed another punch onto the punching bag. 

Over the last week, Steve had found himself at the gym every day. It gave him something to do, something to get his frustration and confusion out on. It was odd, being back at the gym. After the Snap, he didn’t bother with the gym. He went running or did work outs at home. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t visited a gym during that time, but he didn’t. He grunted as his fist made contact with the bag again. 

He continued on like that, punching the bag over and over again. Finally, when his shirt was drenched with sweat, he walked over to a bench and sat down. He grabbed a towel from his gym bag and pressed it against his face, drying it off. He pursed his lips. His thoughts once again, went back to Tony. It had only been a week. He was probably just overreacting. Tony probably just wanted to spend some time with his family and rest. It probably had no reflection on the state of their friendship. 

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, some clarification about a few things (that I haven't really touched upon): 
> 
> 1.) Bruce decides to take back the stones after they win. 
> 
> 2.) Clint decides to sacrifice himself on Vormir. Natasha tries to stop him, but he sacrifices himself before she can. 
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, thank you so much for reading this story!


	9. Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is another flashback.

Steve woke up to find himself screaming. Sweat covered his forehead. His throat felt raw. How long had he been screaming for? The covers that had been up to his chin before he went to sleep were now at his waist. He sat up and wiped the back of his hand against his forehead. He breathed deeply, rapidly, as if his body couldn’t get enough air. 

“Steve?” 

He glanced to the doorway; Tony was standing in his room, a black bathrobe draped over him. Steve shifted, pulling the covers up a little bit higher. 

“Don’t worry, Tony. I’m fine.” 

“Really? Last time I checked screaming while one’s asleep isn’t what I would call a ‘peaceful sleep’.”

Steve winced; he hadn’t meant to scream. 

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said softly. He carded his fingers through his hair, now slightly damp. 

Tony waved a hand. “You know that I’m a light sleeper.” 

“Exactly why I should be apologizing- I woke you up.”

Tony rolled his eyes and took another step into his room. “There’s no need to apologize. If I was annoyed, I wouldn’t be here right now. You know that.”

Knowing that didn’t make Steve feel any better though. He still had woken Tony. Made a scene. Sure, no one except Tony had seen the scene, but that didn’t matter. It still happened. He bit his lip and glanced at the mattress. His hand curled into a fist. He was the leader, the Captain, of the Avengers. He was supposed to be strong and here he was, having nightmares. Being weak. 

“Steve,” Tony said gently. He crossed the room and sat down on the end of Steve’s bed. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

Steve didn’t look at him. “It was just a nightmare. It’s not a big deal. I’ve had plenty of them in the past.” 

“I was attempting to try to help you feel better, but I guess my attempts are futile.” He raised his shoulders and let them go with a sigh. 

“You don’t want to hear about it, Tony.” 

“If I didn’t, why would I be here?” 

Well…he did have a point. Slowly, his gaze rose to meet Tony’s. 

“It was a nightmare about you...you didn’t make it back from space. Carol came back with the ship but it was too late to save you,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I was too late to save you.” 

“Well, good thing that that didn’t happen.”

“Tony,” Steve warned. 

He held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry. Bad joke. I’ve had my fair share of bad dreams. About me…you…the other Avengers. Pretty much about anyone I care about. What I do, when I wake up from them, is remember that they’re not real. I think about the last good thing I did with that person, or heard about that person, and it helps make me feel better. Helps me realize that the dream was just that – a dream. May not be the best method, but it’s helped me.” 

Steve tilted his head to the side; some of his hair fell into his face. It was longer than Steve normally kept it. He had wanted to get it trimmed, but he hadn’t gotten a chance to with all of this training and preparing for the time heist. Tony’s fingers twitched as Steve brushed his hair out of his face. 

“You had nightmares about me?” 

“Of course. They’re mainly about me not being able to save you during one of our missions.” 

“I never knew that.” 

Tony shrugged. “Well, they are nightmares. I don’t particularly like to dwell on them.” 

Good point. 

“Of course. Me neither.” 

“Is this the first time you’re having this dream?”

“No, it isn’t.” He sighed and rested the back of his head against his headboard. “The first time was before I knew that you were coming back. It had been about a week since the Snap and no one knew where you were except for that you had gone to space. Everyone assumed that you didn’t make it.” 

“Honestly? I thought that I wasn’t going to make it. Then Carol showed up and rescued me.” 

“I’m glad that she got to you when she did.” 

“Really? I thought you’d be glad to be rid of me.” 

“You know that’s not true.” 

“You do know that was a joke, right?”

Steve laughed. “Of course I did. I have learned a thing or two since I’ve been out of the ice.” 

“Just checking, old man.” 

Rolling his eyes, Steve leaned over and shoved Tony. Tony laughed and gently shoved him back. Steve smiled widely at him. For the first time in a while, he felt at ease. Like he didn’t have to think about what they were up against, the mission, or the strain that had been between Tony and him. 

“Thank you, Tony,” Steve said. 

“For what?”

_For checking on him to see if he was okay. To making his suits and allowing him to stay in the Avengers facility. For putting up with him. For helping him settle into modern society. For being his friend._ “Just…thank you.” 

The corners of Tony’s mouth turned upwards. “Hey, what are friends for?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit, this is one of my favorite chapters of the story so far. I hope that you enjoyed it! As always, thank you so much for reading!


	10. Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! Hope that you like it.

A week later, Steve found himself back at the Avengers facility. Well, what had been the Avengers facility. There was nothing left of it now. Nothing. Thanos had completely demolished the place. The only thing that was still recognizable was the landing strip near the facility. Even that had holes in it though. Steve wandered through the debris field, making his way hopefully to the other people that were here to help. He knew that Stark Industries had sent people to help out, but he wasn’t sure who else would be here. Bucky and Nat told him that they wanted to be here, but they weren’t sure if they would be able to be. Sam said that he’d try to come if he didn’t get caught up at the group that he runs. There were obviously more people that could help out but Steve hadn’t heard from any of them. Not even Tony had contacted him when he told him that they were going to start cleaning up today. 

When he had texted Tony about it, he thought that Tony would tell him that he would stop by to at least oversee some of the work, but Tony had just told him to keep him updated. Steve thought that he had been kidding when he first saw the text. It wasn’t like Tony to just not help out, to let others do the work. He supposed that maybe he still needed some rest, though. Tony said that he’d send more people to help though, which he supposed was better than nothing. 

He arrived at the middle of the site which was marked by a bunch of people with “Stark Industries” t-shirts and construction hats. They were already picking through the rubble. In the distance, several yards away from them, bulldozers and trucks made their way to them. A man with curly brown hair stood with a small group of people, a clipboard in hand. Steve walked over to him.

“Sorry I’m late, Happy,” Steve said. 

The man turned around and looked up at him. “We’re just getting started, Cap. No need to apologize. I was telling everyone to go look for any personal items we can put those in bins before we start clearing the rubble.” 

Steve glanced at the tower of clear bins that were stacked a few feet behind Happy. 

“Okay. Thanks for organizing all of this,” Steve said, looking back at him. 

“No need to thank me. It was Tony who organized it. I’m just here to supervise everyone.”

“Well…either way, I appreciate it. I’ll take a team with me and we’ll get started.” He gestured to a group of other Stark Industries employees that just arrived. “Follow me.” 

 

Hours later, Steve felt like they hadn’t made any progress. Every time they thought that they were almost finished clearing an area, they realized that they actually weren’t – there was always more rubble to move. Thankfully by then, they weren’t the only ones rummaging through the field. More Stark Industries employees had showed up along with Scott and Hope. He hadn’t been expecting to see them here, but he was grateful that they were. Apparently they decided to stay for a bit longer when they found out that this project was beginning. Coughing, he stood up and grabbed the water battle he had placed on a wall that had toppled over. He took a long drink before putting it back on the ground. 

“Discouraging, isn’t it?” Scott asked. 

“What is?” 

“How long we have been working and how much more we have to go.” 

Steve sighed and nodded. “It is. I was thinking that with a lot of people we’d be able to start rebuilding quickly…but I don’t think that’ll be happening for a while.” 

“At least there will be a new building eventually.” 

“That’s true. It just won’t be here as soon as I’d like it.” 

“Well, you know what they say.” 

“What’s that?” Steve glanced at him.

“Slow and steady wins the race.”

Steve chuckled at that. “That’s one way to look at it.” 

With that, Steve resumed his work, tossing debris to the side while trying to find anything of value to put in the bin that he had been carrying around for hours. So far, only a few pictures of the Avengers were in it. 

 

 

 

For the next week, everything was pretty much the same. Steve arrived at the site early in the morning and took a group of people with him to search through a new section of the debris. Once they cleared a section, the construction workers would go to that area and start removing the debris. It was a slow process, but Steve could finally see the grass in some areas. Slowly, they were making a difference. 

 

 

One day, about a week and half after the project had begun, Steve was sitting under a canopy that they had set up near the entrance of the site. Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw a car make its way towards the site. Steve stood up and furrowed his eyebrows. It was a blue car, one that he didn’t recognize. The car parked in front of him and the door opened; Tony Stark stepped out of the car. 

“I thought I’d swing by to see how everything is unfolding,” Tony said, sliding his sunglasses into his hair. 

“I can see that.” 

Tony smirked. “Did you really think that I wouldn’t stop by at all while all of this was happening? Give me some credit, Rogers.” 

“Good point. Sorry.” 

“Happy told me that you weren’t happy with the progress you were making.” 

“You’re getting updates?” Steve sighed when he answered the question a few seconds later. “Of course you are." He shook his head. “I’m not unhappy with it. It just seems...slow.” 

“According to my calculations, you guys are working as fast as you can.” He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. “You should be finished in about four months.” 

No, no, no. That couldn’t be right. They had been working over seven hours every day. Their numbers seemed to be growing every couple of days. Surely they would be finished before that. 

“Are you sure?” 

“As of now, yes. My calculations may change though. I’ll let you know if they do.” Tony made his way back the car and opened the door. “I appreciate you doing this Steve, really, I do. Anyways…I have to run. I’ll see you again soon.” 

Steve stared at him. He was leaving already? He hadn’t even spent five minutes here. He had barely even talked to him – he just told him about the project. Even that could hardly count as a conversation. He glanced down at his feet. 

“I understand. I’ll see you around, Tony.” 

“See you soon.” 

Steve didn’t look up as the car pulled away from him, driving back the way it came.


	11. Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support; it means a lot to me. 
> 
> Here's the next chapter!

Tony had been incorrect. It had taken them _five_ months to clear all of the debris, not four. Not that a month really mattered that much. It had given Steve a sense of purpose, going there every day, trying to create something special out of nothing. Over the months, some of the Avengers stopped by to help: Bucky, Nat, Sam, Peter Parker, Rhodey. They didn’t stay very long, but they still helped. Tony, on the other hand, had barely come to the site. He had only stopped by once and a while and most of the time when he had stopped by, Steve had only seen him for a few minutes. He had always seemed to be in a rush to go somewhere. Besides that, Steve had barely talked to him. Steve was convinced that he somehow did something wrong, but he couldn’t think of anything he had done within the last couple of months that would’ve made him upset. So, he tried not to dwell on it. 

He thought that maybe by this point something would be happening with the Avengers, but no missions had come in. So, Steve decided to try to move on. Move on from what…well, that he wasn’t too sure about. About two months after the battle, he started to see Sharon Carter again. They had gone on a few dates while he had been on the run, but the relationship hadn’t gone anywhere. It was too difficult to maintain when Steve was going place to place and couldn’t let her know where he was going. Now that Steve’s record had been wiped clean and his avenging days were put on hold, he decided to give their relationship another try. 

At the beginning, things were going well. It seemed natural to be with Sharon; conversations were easy and they had a lot of the same opinions. Their dates were decent, too. Steve always found himself having a good time. After a while though…something felt off. He felt like he was missing something. He wasn’t sure what exactly, but he just didn’t feel excited about the relationship. He enjoyed being around Sharon though, so he didn’t understand why the relationship felt like it wasn’t quite working. Shortly after he figured that the relationship wasn’t working, he ended it. He felt bad for ending it, but...he knew that it was for the best. 

Steve had gone on a few dates with other people after Sharon, but he always seemed to come to the same conclusion: Something was missing. Eventually, he stopped dating. He didn’t see the point in dating if he would just end up just not being interested in the relationship. Natasha had volunteered to set him up with someone a couple of times, but Steve had declined her offers. She had been surprised by his refusals, but she dropped it after Steve told her that he wasn’t interested a few times. 

Which is how Steve Rogers ended up heading to the Avengers gala by himself. The gala was a celebration of the Avengers’ accomplishments and was about raising money for charity and the facility. He didn’t really want to go to it alone, but he had gone to plenty of functions by himself before. Going to this one alone wouldn’t be any different than going to those. Luckily though, Bucky, Natasha, and Sam were going to the function, so at last he would have people to talk to. He had hoped to be able to talk to Tony, too, but Happy had told him that Tony wasn’t going because he had another function to go to. Apparently after saving the universe, Tony had gone back to helping Pepper run Stark Industries. 

Steve sighed as he finished up tying his bowtie. He straightened it before shrugging on a black suit jacket. Glancing in the mirror, he took himself in. His hair was longer than he usually wore it; it came to about his ears. Some errant curls peeked out from under his ears. He knew that he should get it cut, but…well, he liked wearing his hair a bit longer. His gaze roamed over the rest of himself: the white button-down shirt, navy bowtie, black suit jacket and black trousers. He honestly didn’t think he looked too bad. Nodding to himself, he walked out of his bedroom and out of his apartment. 

A car was waiting for him (courtesy of Happy and Stark Industries) when he arrived outside. He thanked the chauffer as he got into the car. His heart rate picked up as they pulled away from the curb. His palms began to sweat. This was it, the big event. If he didn’t do a good job hosting tonight, this whole night would be for nothing. He opened up the window, trying to get some fresh air. Slowly, he inhaled and exhaled. He could do this. He was just hosting a bit of the event. Surely he could handle that. Thinking that he could do handle it but actually doing it were two different things though. This was more of Tony’s thing. Not Steve’s. When Tony had hosted functions in the past, he had always been able to get the crowd excited and get them to care about what the function was about. Steve wasn’t quite sure that he’d be able to do that. Years ago, when he was acting on stage as ‘Captain America’ during World War II, people would throw tomatoes at him. Hopefully the people going to the gala would be easier to win over then a bunch of tired homesick soldiers. 

He continued to slowly breathe in the fresh air. Eventually, his heart rate went back to normal and his fingers uncurled from his fists. It was just a speech. He could do this. If he failed, maybe he could get Sam or Nat to help him out. Yeah, that could work. 

The car turned into the Ritz-Carlton’s driveway and pulled up to the double-doors that led to the lobby of the hotel. 

“Thank you,” Steve said to the driver. 

“Have fun, Captain. You will do well.” 

“I appreciate the words of encouragement.”

Steve got out of the car and buttoned his suit jacket. He nodded to the doorman who opened the door for him. The lobby was already crowded with guests in black-and-white attire. Steve scanned the room, looking for anyone he would know. Unfortunately, none of the Avengers had arrived yet. Of course they hadn’t. 

_You can do this, Rogers,_ he thought to himself. He forced himself to walk through the crowd, nodding to people as he passed. He probably should talk to some of them, but he had to check to make sure the ballroom was prepared for the event. He turned the corner, going down the hallway that led to the Grand Ballroom. Thankfully, it was much less crowded than the lobby. Steve exhaled softly and slipped into the room, shutting the doors behind him. The function technically didn’t start for another five minutes, so the room was empty. He glanced around the room; his lips parted. It looked stunning. 

Multiple lights that looked like chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Wooden panels lined the walls. Along the farthest wall, a podium and a white table-clothed table sat. In front of that table, there were rows of tables that faced it. A bar lined the right wall. Along the other wall, there was a table with gift baskets. That was where the guests would make silent bids for the gifts. Most of the money raised from the gift baskets would go go to local charities in the city. The other money would go towards the facility. All gifts were provided by Stark Industries. 

Steve made his way around the room, making sure that every spot at a table was set with plates and utensils. Once he was sure that the room was set correctly, he returned to the lobby. He cleared his throat. 

“Excuse me!” he yelled over the dim of the crowd. The conversations almost immediately quieted. “The Avengers Gala is ready to begin. You may make your way to the Grand Ballroom whenever you want.” 

The crowd didn’t say anything. Some people just nodded to show that they had heard him. Well. He supposed that was better than nothing. Steve loitered in the lobby while people gradually made their way to the ballroom. Once the lobby was almost empty, Steve walked towards the Grand Ballroom. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he saw the doors. He licked his lips. Well, here went nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to leave kudos and/or a comment. :)


	12. Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter!

Thankfully, Steve didn’t have to give his speech right away. Happy told him that they’d let their guests find mingle for a few minutes before Steve stepped up the podium. That was surprising to Steve since that wasn’t originally how they had planned the event, but he wasn’t complaining. Since he had more time, Steve walked around the room, talking to some of the people who had helped plan the rebuilding of the Avengers facility. The conversations were brief, but the tension in his shoulders seemed to melt a bit as he got to know the people that he would be addressing. 

Once he had made his rounds, he made his way to the bar for a drink. He paused when he saw a woman with red hair and a man with brown hair talking at the corner of the bar. The woman wore a white dress that cascaded down to her feet. The man was wearing a black tuxedo with a white shirt under it with a green tie. 

“I didn’t see you come in,” Steve said, grinning at them. 

Natasha and Bucky looked in his direction. 

“Well, we wanted to say hi to you, but you seemed busy hosting so we didn't want to bother you,” Natasha said. “It’s good to see you, Steve.” 

“You still could’ve said hi to me.”

“And ruin your big night?” Bucky asked. 

“It’s _our_ big night,” Steve corrected. “The Avengers’ big night.” 

Natasha chuckled. “Always the modest one.” 

“I’m being honest, Nat. It’s our night.” 

“But you’re hosting it.” 

Steve sighed when he realized that this conversation wasn’t going to go anywhere. He held up his hands. 

“Fine, fine. I’m glad that you guys could make it.” 

“Of course; we wouldn’t have missed it,” Natasha replied.

Steve smiled at them.

“So how have things been?” Steve asked, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“Horrible,” Bucky said. 

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to him. Things have been going really well.” 

“That’s great.” 

“How about you?” 

From there, the conversation seemed to wander on smoothly. They talked about the Avengers facility, sports, weather, and a bunch of other things. Steve hadn’t realized how much time had passed until the alarm on his phone went off. He had put it on just in case he forgot when he had to begin his speech. His face paled when he saw the time. Oh…no. It was that time already? He glanced over his shoulder; Happy was standing near the podium, waving him over. Steve turned back to his friends.

“I have to go.” 

“Of course you do,” Bucky teased. 

“Buck-,” Steve said. 

“I’m joking, Steve. It’s nice to see you, pal.” He squeezed his shoulder gently. 

“You too, Buck." He glanced at Natasha. "I'll check up with you later?" 

Natasha nodded and gestured for him to go. Steve made his way to the other side of the room, where Happy was standing at the podium, instructing their guests to find their seats. Steve stood next to Happy and looked at the crowd. There were so many people; he swallowed thickly. 

“You’re on,” Happy said, brushing past him. 

“Thanks,” Steve mumbled. He fished some papers out of his suit jacket and placed them on the podium. He stared out at the crowd; was it this crowded when he first got here? He smoothed out the papers on the podium. His tongue felt thick in his mouth. _Come on, Rogers, you can do this._ , he thought to himself. He lowered the microphone and took a small step closer to the podium. 

“Good evening,” Steve said. 

“Good evening,” the crowd repeated. 

Well, at least he had their attention.

“My name is Steve Rogers and we’re here tonight to try to raise money for a building that was destroyed a couple of months ago.” He paused; everyone was still looking at him. “The Avengers facility was a place where the Avengers not only trained, but it was what they called home in between missions. It was a place where the Avengers were able to learn more about each other and become a family of sorts. I’ve spent the last couple of months working with a team from Stark Industries and some other Avengers to clear the land so it will be possible to build a new facility, one that the Avengers can call home again.” 

He licked his lips. 

“While Stark Industries has agreed to help fund the building, it has been decided that since Stark Industries has already invested so much money into the Avengers, it will not sponsor the whole endeavor. Which is why we decided to hold this gala. We’d like to raise money to help cover some of the functioning cost of the facility once it is built. We'd also like to raise money for charities that are in New York City. While we have tried to protect the city, we'd like to do more than just protect it- we'd like to raise money for it. Seventy-five percent of all proceeds of this event will go to charity. The other twenty-five percent will go towards the Avengers facility. If you want to participate in this endeavor, there are gift baskets along the wall that you can bid on. If you prefer to donate money directly, please talk to Happy.” 

His gaze swept over the crowd. 

“I cannot thank you enough for your support. These last five years have been hard on us all. With your help, we will build a better team of Avengers who will not only protect the Earth more efficiently, but will give back to the community more as well. Thank you for your time.” 

The crowd erupted into applause. Steve smiled at the crowd and he made his way to his seat at the table. Some people got up from their seats and went over to the gift baskets. Happy turned to him.

“Well done.” 

“Thanks,” Steve replied. He let out a long breath; he had done it. He had given the speech without any incident, without tripping over his words. 

The next hour or so was much calmer. Dinner was served and people seemed to talk amongst themselves. Bucky, Natasha, and Sam sat near him so he spent most of the time talking to them. They congratulated him on his speech and told him that they’d be surprised if this function wasn't a success. Steve wasn’t sure about that, but he turned the conversation away, deciding to talk about other things instead - like movies and tv shows. Those were simple topics, but no one seemed to mind. 

When he had finished eating his dinner – some chicken dish, Steve made his way to the bar to get a drink. The bartender looked up at him when he approached.

“What can I get you?” 

“Whatever beer you have would be fine.” 

The bartender nodded and grabbed a bottle from the other side of the bar. He handed it to him and Steve mumbled his thank before turning around to go back to his table. But something stopped him. Well, actually, a person stopped him. Everything that had been on his mind seemed to vanish. It wasn’t important. Not really, anyways. Steve blinked, not quite believing what he was seeing: 

Tony Stark stood a few feet away from him, a smirk upon his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter!


	13. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Tony has arrived at the gala...what will happen now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support! Here's the next chapter.

Steve thought that Tony was finished with surprising him, but he supposed that he was wrong. And really, Steve was glad that the man wasn’t through with it. It would be boring if he could predict Tony’s actions. Not that he could, really. All of these years later and Steve still couldn’t quite figure Tony out. He knew him well, but not as well as the other seemed to know him. Steve had wanted to change that after they had been reunited, but he hadn't really gotten the chance. 

“I know I’m lovely to look at, dear, but if you keep on staring you may create a scene,” Tony said, walking over to him. "Not that I'm opposed to creating a scene, but word has it that it is your night." 

Steve’s eyebrows knitted together. “I just wasn’t expecting you to be here.” A blush crept onto his cheeks at the mention that it was his night. Perhaps it really was his night. Not that he cared if it was - all he wanted was for the function to be a success. 

“Ah, that.” Tony said; he picked up a flute of champagne off of the bar. “I did have a function to go to but that wasn’t as important as this.” 

Time seemed to pause for just a moment as Steve took in what he just said. Tony had his own function, but he didn't go to that one so he could be at this one instead. Tony, after months of not really talking to Steve, had decided to come _here_. Celebrate this moment with _him_ and all of the other Avengers. Steve smiled brightly at the brunette. 

“Well, I’m glad that you could make it.” 

Tony took another sip of his drink. “Me too. Otherwise I would’ve missed this champagne.” 

Steve rolled his eyes, but his smile didn't waver. He still couldn't get over how Tony was here. 

“Thanks for coming, Tony.” 

Tony waved his hand. “No need to thank me.” 

“Of course I do.” 

“No need to thank me yet, Steve.” 

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed. What was that supposed to mean? Stark Industries had already invested money in the building. They didn't have to invest more money. Even if they didn't meet their goal tonight, he wouldn't want them to invest more money into the building. Before he could get a word in though, Tony spoke. 

“I’ll be right back."

Tony winked at him and bounded away from him, swiftly making his way through the crowd. Some people tried to talk to him, but Tony just nodded to them as he rushed past. He didn’t slow down until he was a few inches away from the podium. Steve canted his head to the side; his lips pursed together. What on earth was Tony up to? 

“Excuse me,” Tony said, taking a spot behind the podium. People turned towards the podium. “I won’t bother introducing myself because I assume all of you know who I am. If you don't...where have you been?” Laughs came from the crowd. “Anyways, originally I was not supposed to attend tonight’s event because I was co-hosting a Stark Industries event. However, I felt like this event was more important. The Avengers, although on a hiatus right now, were a huge part of my life…are a huge part of my life. After the battle with Thanos though, my first thought wasn’t the Avengers, it was to recuperate. Some may say that was understandable after everything that happened and I don't regret not thinking about the Avengers while I was just beginning to heal. But…” Tony’s gaze lifted to where Steve was standing. “Steve Rogers was the one who was thinking about what to do next after the battle. He came up with the plan to rebuild the Avengers facility only a few days after the attack. He was the one who asked me if he could take the lead on the project. Obviously, I said yes. Over the last few months, teams have been working hard to clear that land so we can start anew, create a new era of the Avengers. Making a new building wasn’t enough though…Steve also wanted to have this function help those in our communities.” Steve’s cheeks grew warm. He wasn't used to getting this sort of praise. Not as Steve Rogers. “If you donate money, know that you will not only be supporting these types of efforts, but you will be supporting a team, led by a leader who never gives up.” 

Tony walked away from the podium and made his way back to where Steve was standing. He flashed Steve his signature smirk. 

“Tony, you didn’t have to do that,” Steve whispered. 

The brunette took a sip of his champagne. “No, I didn’t. But I wanted to.” 

Steve bit his lip. “Thank you.” He took a sip of his beer and glanced around. Some people looked in their direction. “Would you like to talk somewhere else?” Not that he had a problem with talking with other people around, but he preferred to talk Tony alone. Besides, it was quieter out in the hall. 

“Sounds like a plan.” 

The blonde nodded and led him into the hall. He smiled at Tony softly as he leaned against the wall that was across from the doors. 

“I can’t believe you came,” Steve said. 

“Is it really that shocking? I am an Avenger, you know," Tony replied, leaning against the wall. 

“I know that…but Happy told me that you weren’t coming, so I just thought that you weren’t. I thought that you had more important things to do.” 

“I did have important things to do, but it wasn’t anything that Pepper couldn’t take care of.” He shrugged. “Besides, I’d rather be here.” 

“Really?”

“Are you kidding me? This is so much better than going to a board party. All of the talk about business would’ve been unbearable.” Tony shuddered. 

Steve chuckled. “Glad that you managed to get out of that, then. How has everything been going?” 

“Well. Pepper and I are co-leading the business and Morgan’s going to be starting kindergarten in a few months.” 

“That’s great, Tony,” Steve said, but he couldn't stop his gaze from falling to the floor. The corners of his mouth twitched downwards. He willed his mouth to shift shape, but it refused. 

“How about you?” 

“What about me?” Steve's head snapped up. 

“How’re you doing?” 

Steve shrugged. “I’m doing okay. The project is taking up a lot of my time.” 

“Nothing else exciting happening?” 

“Not really.” It sounded awful to say out loud, but it was true. Without any missions…he wasn’t really doing much. 

“Really? Not even dating anyone?” 

He frowned. "Not at the moment, no.” 

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, are you saying _Steve Rogers_ also known as Captain America– one of the Avengers who saved the world – isn’t able to find a date?” 

Find a date? Sure he could. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was…well, finding the right partner. 

“I just haven’t been looking,” Steve mumbled. 

“What are you waiting for?” 

Steve stared at him; what kind of question was that? But, Tony wasn't known to ask vague questions. “Someone with shared life experience, I suppose.” 

“What, someone who has been in the ice, too?” 

Steve sighed in an exasperated manner, but he couldn’t stop the smirk that tugged on his lips. “You know what I mean, Tony.” 

Tony canted his head to the side. “I think I may know someone for you-” 

“That’s okay. As I said, I haven’t been looking," Steve said, cutting him off. 

His shoulders stiffened at the thought of Tony setting him up with someone. He trusted Tony’s judgment…but no, he didn’t want him setting him up with anyone. Not just because he thought that the relationship wouldn’t go anywhere, but because…it felt wrong, for some reason. Steve shrugged; he took a swig of his beverage.

“Is it because you already have your eye on someone else?” 

Steve's eyebrows knitted together as he thought about the question, which had caught him a bit off guard. His first thought was no, that there wasn’t anyone that he had his eyes on. But, that didn’t seem quite right. It was as if he felt like there was someone that he was interested in. Steve wasn't sure though, if he was interested in someone, who that person would be. 

“I don’t think so,” Steve replied after a beat. 

Tony opened his mouth to say something else, but Happy walked into the hall. He glanced at the two of them. 

“Steve, it’s your turn to give the closing speech.” 

“Ah, right.” 

He downed the rest of his drink as he walked back into the ballroom. Tony followed him back inside. 

 

 

 

 

Later that night, after the event, Tony’s question bounced around Steve’s mind. The question was such a simple one, but he couldn’t get it out of his mind. It kept nagging him. He didn't understand why though. He wasn't interested in anyone. He knew that he wasn't. Or did he know that? If he wasn't, why would the question keep poking at him? If Steve was interested in someone...who was he into? 

The answer seemed to evade him for hours, but just as he felt tired enough to finally fall asleep, the answer came to him. The thought made his heart constrict. He may have even let out a slew of curses. Out of all the people he could possibly want to be with…he had to pick the person who was off-limits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Even though I edited the chapter before posting it, I apologize for any typos or grammatical errors. 
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment or kudos if wish. :)


	14. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Steve figures out who he likes. This is what unfolds after that revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support! It really means a lot to me. Here's the next chapter.

The answer should’ve made Steve feel lighter, happier. After all, he had found out the answer to Tony’s question. Unfortunately, the answer didn’t make him feel any better. Why should it? It was a person he couldn’t have. Twice in a row, he seemed to have waited too long for the person who he was interested in. He couldn't believe it. How could he have messed up _twice_? 

A few days after the gala, Steve found out that the construction site had been closed, so he couldn't spend time there to get his mind off of it. If the site had been open, Steve would have spent more time there to try to get his mind off of this. Apparently, it was closed though until they gathered the materials that they needed to start rebuilding. They had ordered some previously to the gala, but those orders had been delayed because the manufactures couldn't get the materials in time for the shipment date. Now, they had no idea when the building of Avengers Headquarters would begin. It could be anywhere from weeks to months. 

So, instead of heading there, Steve decided to spend a lot of time at the gym. It helped him get his mind off of his current situation. Not that it was _that_ bad, but he'd just focus on it if he had nothing better to do. He actually started to go the gym so much that the owner suggested that he work there; teach kickboxing or some class to some of the people that attended the gym. Steve had been flattered by the offer, but he turned it down. He told the owner that he’d keep the offer in mind though. 

Since he still had a lot of free time, Steve decided to enroll in an art class. He had been wanting to take one since he was in his 20s, so he decided that it was time. He decided to take an introduction to art class since the school was only a couple of blocks away from his apartment. The classes weren’t mandatory either, so if he had to miss one or two due to work, he wouldn’t be breaking any rules.

The first time he went to class he was nervous; he couldn’t remember the last time he had drawn and when he had, that picture had been rubbish. 

He walked into the brick building and made his way to the classroom that was at the end of the hall. Some people mingled in the hall, but they didn’t pay any attention to him. Or at least, they pretended that they didn’t. Either way, Steve was grateful. He didn’t want this to be a big deal – he was just there to learn more about art. He opened the door to the classroom and slipped inside. The tables in the back were empty, so he took a seat at one of them. Some people in front of him turned around and stared at him. Steve sighed; at times like these, he wished that his superpower was invisibility. Then people wouldn't be stunned when Captain America was near them. He ignored them and took out a new sketchbook that he had bought just for the class. He had considered bringing his old one, but he didn’t want to accidentally lose it. The door opened again and a woman with brown hair walked in, towards the front of the class. 

“Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Art 101. We are all passionate about art, so let’s focus keep our focus on that.” Her gaze settled on Steve. “Remember that art is for everyone.” 

 

 

 

After the fourth art class, Steve knew that he had made the right decision. The people seemed standoffish at first, but once they all started sharing their drawings with each other, everyone seemed to open up. Even Steve seemed to open up; he talked about what inspired his drawings and about being part of the Avengers. He hadn’t planned on talking about the Avengers, but…well, it just seemed to happen. His classmates would listen to him, too, which surprised him. He wasn’t sure if they were just listening because they wanted to know the scoop about the Avengers, or because they were genuinely interested. Maybe it was a bit of both. 

Steve was just packing up his messenger bag when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his jean pocket and glanced at the screen. 

_Did I just hear that you’re taking art lessons?_

He glanced at the top of the screen; Tony’s name lined the top. Steve’s fingers hovered over the screen for a few moments before he typed back. 

_Hmmm. Really? Strange._

Steve sent the text and smirked to himself. He pocketed the phone and left his apartment. He padded down the sidewalk, making his way to art class. His phone buzzed when he was about a block away from it. 

_Are you?_

He thought about dodging the question again – Steve hadn’t actually shown Tony his art or talked about it that often, so he wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to start now. It was clear that Tony wouldn’t make fun of him for it, but Steve didn’t like showing his drawings to people. His art was personal, it was part of him, in a way. But…he didn’t want to lie to Tony. He did that once and he promised that he wouldn’t do it again. Even if it was something silly like if he was taking an art class or not. 

_I am._

The response came back a few seconds later.

_Really?_

_Building is on hold and the Avengers are on hiatus so I figured why not._

Steve paused by the doors of the school, waiting for Tony to text him back. When a minute passed and there was no reply, Steve slipped his phone into his pocket and went into the building. 

The art class passed slowly because Steve kept thinking about whether or not Tony had texted him. He could just check his phone in class, but he didn’t want to do that. The teacher had said during the first day of class that it was against the rules. Huffing, Steve focused back on what the teacher was saying, the eraser of his pencil bouncing off of his sketchbook. 

Finally, the class ended. Steve shoved his sketchbook back into his bag and practically ran out of the door. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the text. 

_Well, if you draw anything interesting, feel free to share._

A door swung open into the hall. Steve paused just as someone yelled at him to stop looking at his phone while he was walking. He glanced up at the person – a woman who had blonde hair. 

“Sorry, I’ll be more careful,” he muttered. 

He stared at the text. Show him? His art? No...he couldn't do that. What was he supposed to say to the text though? No? That didn't seem like the right response. Sighing, he forced himself to focus on where he was going. He made his way down the stairs and out of the building. He figured that by the time he got home, he'd know how to reply, so he’d reply then. 

Ten minutes later and Steve still didn’t know what to say. It seemed so silly to get so riled up about this, but sharing his art…he wasn't sure if he wanted to do that. Tony probably wouldn’t be too hard on him about it, but he wasn’t sure. He closed the door behind him and walked into his bedroom, sliding his bag off of his shoulder so it landed on a chair. Biting his lip, he sat down on his bed. He stared at the screen of his phone for a few moments, trying to decide how to reply. Finally, he typed out a message. 

_Oh, really? Hmm. I suppose that I could share._

He wasn't sure why he was said that, but he did; there wasn't any way to take it back now. His phone buzzed a few seconds later.

_Good. I look forward to seeing some of your art. :)_

The smiley face surprised Steve. Using emojis – that’s what he thought they were called, at least – wasn’t something that Tony usually used. At least, not when he texted Steve. He read the message again and looked at the emoji. A smile spread across his lips; perhaps things were changing for the better after all.


	15. Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support! Here's the next chapter of the fic. 
> 
> Hope you like it!

Four days later, Happy contacted Steve to tell him that they were going to break ground for the new facility. Steve grinned when he saw the message. As much as he liked his time off from working at the site, he was glad to be going back to it. To help actually build the new facility, not just clear the land for it.

The next day, Steve found himself at the site with arms crossed over his chest, waiting for the groundbreaking ceremony to begin. He stood in a half circle behind where the groundbreaking would actually happen. He stood next to Happy, who was busy texting. Bucky stood on the other side of him, hands in his pockets. Natasha was next to him, whispering something to him. He chuckled softly and whispered something back to her. Around them were people who helped clear the site, along with some others: Fury, Sam, Rhodey, Scott, Hope, Peter Parker. Happy took a step forward and cleared his throat.

“We are here today to break ground on the new Avengers facility. This will act as a beginning of a new era for the Avengers.”

People clapped as Happy took a step back next to Steve. The blonde opened his mouth to ask him if he should say something, but then closed it when he realized that something was happening. The crowd parted; people murmured amongst themselves. Heads turned to see what all of the fuss was about. Steve took a step forward, trying to see what or who the others were looking at. A few seconds later, Tony broke through the crowd. Steve's gaze roamed over him; he was wearing a navy blue suit with a white button-down shirt that had the first two buttons undone. Steve stared at him, his lips pressed together in a tight line. So, he had decided to come without telling him that he was coming. 

“Did you know that he was coming?” Steve asked Natasha.

“No, did you?”

Steve shook his head, his gaze not leaving Tony. His eyes raked over Tony; that suit hugged his frame perfectly. He licked his lips and watched the billionaire walk over to the shovel that was leaning against some wooden planks. He picked it up and turned towards the crowd.

“I apologize for my tardiness. I was trying to get here on time but picking out an outfit took longer than I thought it would,” Tony explained; the crowd broke into laughter. “Anyways, I am here now, so I suppose the event can finally commence. We are here today to officially begin a new era of the Avengers.” He dug the shovel into the ground and threw some dirt next to the incision he made in the ground. “I’m pleased to announce that the building of Avengers Headquarters has officially begun!”

He let go of the shovel, which fell to the ground. People cheered and clapped. Tony took a bow, a grin plastered across his face.

“Thank you, thank you,” Tony murmured as he stood back up.

Steve canted his head to the side and smirked. Of course Tony was owning the crowd, like always. It was nice to see Tony back in his element, no matter how much he complained about going to these sorts of events. Once the crowd’s cheering settled, Steve made a beeline to the brunette.

“Well, that was certainly a surprise,” Steve said, referring to his entrance. 

Tony looked up and smirked at him. “Wasn’t it?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“I didn’t know that I was coming until last night. Happy asked me if I would come.”

 _So you couldn’t text me to let me know?_   Steve wanted to ask, but he figured that it was better if he didn’t. Tony was here; that was all that mattered.

“I’m glad that he asked you to do it.”

“Really? I thought that you would want to do this since it’s your project.”

“Tony…it’s our project. The Avengers' project. Besides, you were the one who wielded the gauntlet; this should be your honor.”

Tony grinned at him. “You make a very good point. I _did_ save the universe.”

“Yes, you did.”

Steve knew that he had helped, but he wasn’t the one who had put the gauntlet on. He wasn't the one who decided to put his life at risk at that moment. Sure, he was unconscious right before then so he couldn't have done it, but still. Silence fell over them for a few seconds before Tony spoke up again.

“So, I noticed that you haven’t sent me any of your drawings.”

“I haven’t been drawing that much,” Steve replied.

“Really? Then what’s the point of taking an art class?”

Steve’s cheeks warmed; his gaze flicked to his feet.

“I’m not sure, Tony…my drawings aren’t that good.”

“Everyone is their own worst critic.” He saw Tony's feet shuffle closer to his. Their toes were almost touching; just a few inches apart. "I promise to tell you what I think about them – I won’t lie.”  
  
Steve sighed; he looked back up at the man.

“Come on. I won’t show anyone else your drawings.”

“You won’t let this go until I show you one,” Steve muttered.

Tony grinned. “Now you’re on the right track, Rogers.”

Steve knew that he would regret sending Tony one of his drawings, but it was nice to see someone so interested in him. Not Captain America, but _him_ , Steve Rogers. It wasn’t that he hated the questions about Captain America; Captain America was one of the best things that had happened to him. But people seemed to just see him as that and forgot that there was a person who was separate from that title. That he was more than just the shield. That he was interested in more than just being a superhero.

“Fine, I’ll show you them. But…please don’t let anyone else see them, okay?”

“Scout’s Honor,” Tony said, saluting Steve.

“You were never a scout.”

“Then what kind of promise would you like?”

Steve shook his head. “No promise is needed. I trust you, Tony.” As he said the words, he was reminded of their conversation in New York, right before they decided to go to 1970 to recover the tesseract.

 

_Steve looked at Tony, his eyebrows furrowed. He wasn’t sure exactly what Tony had in mind, but he thought that he had a vague idea about what he meant, what he wanted them to do. The plan definitely had flaws, but if it worked, they would be back on track. They would be able to put the Time Heist back in motion and that was much more important to Steve than the risk of them not coming back._

_Steve was about to tell Tony that he was okay with the plan when Scott interrupted them, informing them that if their plan didn’t work, they’d be stuck. He appreciated Scott’s concern, but what else were they supposed to do? Just…give up? No. Whatever it takes – that’s what he had said during his speech. He intended on following his own speech._

_Tony said something, but Steve wasn’t paying attention. He glared at Scott, hoping that would make him be quiet until they sorted this out. Scott seemed to get what he was trying to say and stopped talking. Steve’s attention focused back on Tony._

_“Do you trust me?” he asked Steve._

_The question caught Steve off-guard. The answer seemed obvious to Steve. Even after everything that they had been through, there was no one that he trusted more. No one that he would want to go on this little detour with. Tony hadn’t steered them wrong before; he trusted that he wouldn’t steer them wrong now._

_“I do,” Steve said. His heart swelled at the words, the fact that he had said them out loud._

The memory brought a smile to Steve’s face. Now, hopefully, Tony would never have to ask this question again; he would know that Steve trusted him, no matter what happened between them.

He thought back to his drawings. Yes, even though he was nervous to show Tony his drawings, nothing had changed – he still trusted Tony more than anyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> Even though I edited it, I apologize for any typos I might've made. 
> 
> Feel free to leave kudos or a comment if you want!


	16. Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter!
> 
> Thanks for your continued support; it means a lot to me.

His art had to be put on hold for the next week because he was busy helping build the facility. Well. Build may have been the wrong word. Supervise would be more correct. He had wanted to help lay the foundation of the building, but Happy refused. Instead he charged Steve with making sure the materials they needed were there and helped plan some of the interior of the facility. It was going to be very similar to the old one, but this one was going to be bigger, and those who worked for the Avengers would be in a separate building than the Avengers. The Avengers would have their own training and living quarters. That way business and life could be more separate. When one of the architects proposed this idea, Steve immediately signed off on it. He wasn’t sure still what his future plans were, but he thought the Avengers would like this change. Not having their own space had always been a complaint before Thanos attacked. 

Steve finally had a day off the following Monday. They were letting the concrete dry, so there wasn’t really anything that they could do. Since Steve had some free time, he decided to work on some art projects that he had been assigned the last time he had been to art class. He sat down at his kitchen table, a fruit bowl set in front of him. They were supposed to paint a still life. Steve slid his pencil over the page, trying to copy exactly what he saw before him. He grimaced when the outline of the bowl was complete. It looked…awful. Like he had started off being really concentrated on what he was doing, but had started to daydream halfway through. He grimaced and tossed the paper into the bin. 

Steve stared at a new blank page, pencil in hand. Minutes passed by, but his hand didn’t move. The page remained empty. 

“Damnit,” Steve muttered. Drawing a bowl with some lemons in it shouldn’t be this difficult. He had drawn stuff like this multiple times, back when he had first come out of the ice. This should be a walk in the park. 

Shaking his head, he got up and moved to the couch, sketchbook in hand. Maybe changing location would help. He turned on some music and settled into a corner of the couch, his knees drawn close to his chest, his sketchbook resting on his thighs. He made a small line with his pencil, but stopped. No, he wasn’t going to draw the bowl. His assignment would be late, but he wasn’t going to force himself to draw something that just made him want to punch something. To scream. He was going to draw what he wanted. 

A few hours later, Steve was still sitting on the couch, but the page wasn’t blank anymore. He smiled widely at his work before setting the sketchbook on the table and pulling out his phone. Leaning over the table, he snapped a picture. 

_Something I’ve been working on today._

He attached the picture to the text and sent it before he could think more about it. He had drawn a picture of Tony sitting outside of the compound, near the lake. It wasn’t a perfect copy of the moment – Steve had been looking for him at the time and had found him reading in a chair near the lake, but he thought it was pretty close. He wasn’t sure why he decided to draw this, but while he was drawing it, it felt right. Perhaps it was because, well, Tony had been on his mind.

He looked at his phone, waiting for those little bubbles that showed someone was typing to appear. They didn’t. When five minutes passed, Steve sighed and pocketed his phone. He picked up his sketchbook again and turned to a new page. His pencil slid across the page, going this way and that. Steve stuck out his tongue a bit as he shaded in part of his drawing. Well, he supposed it was more of a doodle than anything – he was just drawing what was in the room that he was sitting in. 

Maybe it had been a mistake to send Tony that – he’d probably find it creepy. He had told him to send him one of his drawings, not a drawing of him. 

“Idiot,” Steve muttered. He carded his hand through his hair. He picked up his phone again and sent another message. 

_Sorry. I know that is probably odd…you can just ignore it. I’ll send you something else instead. I’ll send you a still life._

He hit send and let out a sigh until he realized how that message sounded. Swearing, he typed another message. 

_By still life, I just meant a bowl of fruit._

Sending that message should’ve made Steve feel better, but it didn’t. Now he just felt like more of a fool. He should’ve just waited until his other drawing was done and sent that. But…he couldn’t change it now. Sighing, he stood up from the couch and went into his bedroom. He quickly changed into shorts and a t-shirt. Grabbing his keys, he left his apartment, leaving his phone in the living room. 

A few minutes later, his feet pounded against the sidewalk; the sound was comforting. It was something cement, solid. Something that kept his thoughts from wandering too far. He sucked in a breath as he turned the corner, moving towards a small park. At this time of day, the park was full of kids and families. Steve stuck to the path that cut through the middle so that way they didn’t have to worry about him accidentally crashing into them. Which, wouldn’t happen, nor did Steve ever do something like that. That’s what he liked to tell himself, anyways. One time, when he was just out of the ice, he didn’t realize how busy these parks could get, and this man seemed to come out of nowhere and he almost ran into him. The guy yelled at him for almost running into him. Steve had apologized to the guy, but he hadn’t seemed to care. 

Steve continued on his run, focusing on how his shoes echoed off of the cement. He ran around his neighborhood until his head felt clearer. When his thoughts didn’t seem so loud, he made his way back to his apartment. He climbed the stairs and unlocked the door. Stepping in, he tossed his keys onto the table and padded into his bedroom. His phone laid on his end table, screen black. Biting his lip, Steve turned the screen on. He blinked when he saw that there was a message on the screen. 

_Why are you apologizing for such a wonderful drawing of me? I’m flattered._

Steve’s cheeks warmed. 

_I’m glad that you’re flattered…you should be._

It probably wasn’t the best thing to send, but Steve sent it anyways. Besides, Tony and him bantered all the time like this prior to their falling out. This was no different than that. He placed his phone back on the end table and went into the bathroom to shower. 

When he was clean and dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, Steve checked his phone again. A message was waiting for him. 

_Why should I be flattered?_

__

__

_Because…I don’t like drawing people._

Why’s that? 

Because…it’s hard to really capture the essence of a person. 

_And my essence is easily captured?_

Steve laughed at that. Tony? Easily captured? Not at all. Tony was one of the most complicated people he knew. But who he was deep down…he supposed that was easily to convey when he drew him. 

_Not exactly. Steve replied. It took me a while to get this drawing right._

_It’s definitely right. I feel like I’m looking at myself._

__

__

_Well, you are.  
Thanks for that, Einstein. _

Steve blushed deeply; he was getting ready to type out another message when one appeared on the screen. The phone nearly slipped out of Steve’s hands. No, no, no. He couldn’t be serious. No. He had to be joking.

_Are…you serious?_ The blonde asked him.

_Yes. Unless you don’t want to._

__

__

No! I do. I’ll check my schedule and get back to you?

_Perfect._

Steve stared at the phone, completely in shock by what just happened. Well…this would certainly be interesting.


	17. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter!

An hour. That’s all he had left and his apartment was no where near the state that he wanted it to be in. The space wasn’t messy, but it wasn’t as clean as he wanted it to be. The counters weren’t clean and dishes were still sitting in the sink. The hardwood floor wasn’t as shiny as he wanted it to be. The blanket that he had placed on the couch seemed to be slightly crooked and there was a wrinkle in the middle of it. He was pretty sure that his bed wasn’t perfectly made, either. He doubted that his bedroom would be seen, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that everything had to be spotless. Steve continued to bustle about his apartment, cleaning as quickly as efficiently as he could. Once everything looked the way he wanted it to, Steve made his way to the shower so he could get ready for the evening. 

Steve got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He padded into his bedroom and glanced at his closet; he bit his lip, unsure of what to wear. His work jeans - they were jeans he liked to wear when he was at the construction site - were an option, but he really didn’t want to wear those since they were faded and there was a tear at the knee where he had fallen during a fight a couple of years back. He could wear his tight dark wash jeans, but he didn't think those would be good for tonight. So, he decided upon dark wash jeans and a white t-shirt. Simple, yet nice. At least, he thought it was. After he got dressed he walked to the bathroom to finish styling his hair and getting ready.

He had just finished brushing his teeth when there was a knock on the door. Steve’s eyes widened; was it that time already? Surely it couldn’t be. He glanced at his watch. Five o’clock exactly. Well, that was new – being on time typically wasn't something this person was known for. He supposed there was a first time for everything, though. Steve wiped his face with a towel before leaving his room. He ran a hand through his styled hair – he had swept it back a bit so it was out of his eyes- and walked to the front door. The person knocked again. 

“Coming!” Steve called. 

He opened the door; Tony was standing on the other side, a pizza in hand. 

“I know that you said that I didn’t have to bring anything but I felt like it would be rude to not bring anything. So…I got this. It has sausage and onion on it.” 

Steve stared at him; he remembered. His pizza order wasn’t odd, but he was still surprised that Tony remembered since Steve typically was the one who ordered food when they were at the facility. 

“Are you going to keep staring at me or are you going to take it?” 

He cleared his throat. “Oh, right. Thank you.” He took the pizza from him and gestured for him to come in. “You really didn’t have to bring anything…I have food here.” 

“You’re the one who’s hosting…it's proper etiquette to bring food.” 

"Is it?" 

"Yes." 

“Well…thank you, Tony.” 

Steve lead him through the hall, towards the kitchen. He glanced behind him, at Tony; he couldn’t help but think how Tony was in his apartment. After all of this time, Tony was finally seeing where he lived. It was hard for him to get his mind around it. 

He entered the kitchen and placed the pizza on the counter. “Do you want anything to drink?”

Tony shook his head. “I appreciate it, but I’m good. So, how does this work?” 

“Excuse me?” Steve said, his cheeks burning.

“The portrait? You know, why I'm here?”

Oh…right. That. 

“Ah, right. Follow me.” He grabbed the water bottles he had left on the counter – he had left out two just in case Tony wanted one and led him to the living room, where an easel was set up in front of the coffee table. “You can sit wherever you want…the couch…the recliner…wherever.” 

Tony glanced around the room and shrugged off his leather jacket; he wore a red t-shirt underneath. He folded it in half and placed it on the back of the couch. 

“Is this okay?” Tony asked, pointing to the recliner.

“Go ahead.” 

Tony nodded and sat down in the chair. Steve handed him the extra water bottle he had taken out for him.

“Just in case you need it,” Steve said. 

"Thanks." 

While Tony was getting comfortable, Steve busied himself with adjusting his easel and supplies, moving them so he could see Tony better. A few minutes later, he sat on the wooden chair he liked to use when he was using the easel and glanced at Tony. 

“You ready?” 

“Whenever you are.” 

Steve picked up a pencil and began to sketch Tony, making light marks on the page just in case he made a mistake. He stuck his tongue out between his lips as he worked, his focus solely on his pencil. The farther that he got with the drawing, the less he thought about how he was drawing Tony or how Tony had come here because he had wanted Steve to draw a picture of him that he posed for. His attention was solely on the lines the he created on the page; he wanted this drawing to be as close to perfect as he could get it. Every couple of seconds, Steve would glance up from the easel and glance at Tony. Sometimes their gazes would meet which made Steve blush and duck behind the easel so Tony couldn’t see him. 

About an hour later, Steve leaned back in his chair and put his pencil down. He looked at the drawing in front of him and smiled. He still had a lot of work to do – he still had to shade it – but it looked...good. The Tony that was on the paper looked almost exactly like the one who was sitting front of him. The one who was currently taking a sip of water.

“Is it done?” Tony asked, twisting the lid back on the bottle. 

“Do you want to see it?” 

“Do you really have to ask that?” 

Steve chuckled and gestured for Tony to come over and see the picture, but Tony was already moving. He stood behind Steve, his gaze focused on the easel. The brunette didn’t say anything for a few moments; Steve licked his lips and stood up, moving towards the easel, ready to tear down the page and start over again. He glanced at Tony. 

“I can draw you again if you want…,” Steve murmured.

“What are you talking about?” Tony began. Steve turned towards him, his eyebrows furrowed. “It’s really good, Steve.” 

The corner of Steve’s mouth twitched. “Really?”

“Why would I lie about something like that?” 

“To spare my feelings?” Steve offered, shrugging. 

Tony let out a long, exasperated sigh. “No one understands me,” he said, placing the back of his hand against his forehead. He slid his hand off of his forehead, back to his side. He looked at Steve. “You know that I’m not one to do that.” 

He did have a point. Tony was never one to favor feelings over being honest. A smile spread across Steve’s face; his gaze moved back to the easel. 

“It’s not done yet, obviously. I still have to color it in...the final product will look much-”

“Steve.” Steve felt a hand on his shoulder; he turned to face Tony, who was looking at him with that soft expression that seemed to be so fleeting after their battle with Thanos. 

“What?” Steve asked. 

Tony squeezed Steve’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to redraw it. I’m sure the final product will be great…it’s already great.” Tony’s gaze bore into Steve’s. “I can’t wait to see the final picture. Really.” Steve wasn’t sure how many seconds passed, but it felt like ages. He couldn't stop gazing at Tony. For a split second, Steve glanced towards Tony’s lips and stared at them. He didn’t mean to – he was just so close. A foot away from him. Maybe less. Tony dropped his hand from Steve’s shoulder; he smiled softly. “Pepper is going to love it.”

Her name washed over Steve like a bucket of ice water. Right. Pepper. He nearly slapped himself; how could he forget about her? Just because Tony was here didn’t mean that she was gone; it didn’t mean that Tony didn’t find her important…that he didn’t love her. Tony was just here because he wanted Steve to draw a portrait of him because he thought it’d be neat to have. Not anything more. And Steve certainly respected Pepper enough to to not do anything that would come between her and Tony. Steve took a step back and nodded.

“Yeah…I’m sure that she will,” he said. He cleared his throat. “Anyways…do you want that pizza now?” 

“Sure, I’m starved.” 

Steve nodded and led him to the kitchen, making sure that there was some distance between them. 

 

After that little incident, if it could even be called that, Steve made sure that he was more mindful of his actions. He sat across the table from Tony and focused on the conversation, not on what happened earlier. Not on how he almost caused something disastrous to happen. He took a sip of his water and watched Tony as he described how Morgan did her first cartwheel the other day, seemingly oblivious to what had transpired earlier. He seemed so happy, so at ease, in a way that he hadn’t seen before. He had been happy before he got married, sure…but now he seemed truly happy. Something that he had always wanted for Tony. His lips pressed into a thin line. No, he definitely could not let what happened earlier happen again. He was Tony’s friend; he’d act like it. Even if it made his heart break to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support! I hope that you liked this chapter! 
> 
> Even though I edited this chapter, I apologize for any typos or grammatical errors that I didn't see. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also, fun fact: In a draft of this chapter, Steve put a headband in his hair to keep it out of his eyes before he drew Tony.


	18. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve is visited by someone.

Luckily work picked up after that night. Steve wasn’t really needed at the site anymore, but Steve went regardless. It helped get his mind off of everything and he liked being able to help others. He was supposed to just supervise what was happening, but he tried to help people where he could; he’d hand them wood or nails or their water bottle if they had set it down far away from where they were working. Sometimes if a worker seemed really tired, Steve would take over for them. Anything to keep himself busy. 

Since he spent most of his day at the site, he barely answered his phone. He knew that he should, but by the time he got home at night, he was exhausted. He just made time enough to grab a quick bite to eat, shower, and go to bed. The next day, he would do the same thing all over again. On the weekends, Steve would work on the drawing that he had done for Tony. 

Steve went two like that; he barely talked to anyone and barely answered his texts. The only texts he really answered were Natasha's, but his replies to her were brief. Not because he was upset with her, but because he didn't quite have the energy to discuss everything that was going on currently. His short messages only seemed to worry her though; she sent more messages as the days went on. He didn't know why she was worried - he hadn't told her anything about what happened with Tony. Not that anything had "happened" with Tony; all he did was look at him for a bit longer than he should have. Steve didn't want to tell her what happened, even if she reassured him by saying that he hadn't done anything wrong. He still felt like he betrayed the trust that Tony had placed in him. It felt like he couldn't do anything right by him: he kept the secret from him, broke his friendship with him, and hurt him. And now when he finally got Tony back…he was pining over him when he was married. Steve grimaced; he really was a terrible friend. The one silver lining in this whole situation was that he didn’t receive any texts from Tony; he had told Steve that he would be traveling for business so he wouldn’t be on his phone much. As much as he wanted to talk to him, Steve knew that he needed the space to figure all of this out. 

His texts must have really not reassured Natasha though, because one day when he had just gotten home from work and was about to make a sandwich, there was a knock on his door. For a split second, Steve hoped that it was Tony. Why he would visit him, he wasn’t sure, but still Steve thought it might be him. Steve wiped his hands on the towel next to his cutting board and padded over to the door. He opened it; Bucky stood on the other side of the threshold; a smirk on his face. 

“Hey, pal,” he said. 

“What are you doing here?” 

Bucky let out a sigh. “Is that any way to greet an old friend?” 

“Buck, I’m thrilled to see you…I just mean, why aren’t you with Natasha?” 

“She was worried about you. She thought that maybe I could get through to you, see what’s wrong.” 

“I told her that nothing was the matter,” Steve mumbled. 

“She didn’t buy that.” 

“I can see that.” He turned sideways and gestured for Bucky to come in. “I am glad to see you.” He shut the door behind Bucky, who was making his way to the kitchen. 

“You could’ve fooled me,” Bucky said, glancing at him. He walked over to the cutting board that was on the kitchen island. “Sorry for interrupting you.” He gestured to the slices of tomato and lettuce. “Looks like it was going to be an exciting dinner.” 

“I didn’t feel like making anything else. I'm making a BLT, do you want one?” Steve opened the pantry and took out a loaf of bread. 

“I’m good, thanks. I’ll take a beer, though.” 

Steve grabbed a bottle of beer and slid it across the counter. He went back to the little work station that he had set up and took out a a few slices of bread. 

“So, you want to talk about what’s been going on?” 

Bucky brought the beer bottle to his lips. The blonde turned around; he took out the tray of bacon and placed it on a mat that was on the counter. 

“I told you that nothing was the matter,” he replied, back to him. He placed some bacon onto a plate and brought it back to the island. 

“You really want to go with that story?” Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Well, yeah, he did. That’s why he had said that nothing was the matter. But it seemed like that statement wasn’t going to cut it. He exhaled softly and leaned against the counter behind him, arms crossed. 

“I suppose that I don’t.” 

Steve wanted to say more, explain to him what was happening, but all of the words that he wanted to say got stuck in his throat, refusing to come out. He tried to spit them out, but he couldn't. It was infuriating. Out of all the people who he could talk about this, Bucky would be the one to listen without judgment. He would try to see it from Steve’s point of view before giving him any advice or judging him. That didn’t make this any easier though. Thankfully, Bucky didn’t pressure Steve to talk; he just nursed his beer while he waited. 

Minutes passed before Steve spoke. He kept opening his mouth, hoping that would help him start talking, but it didn't. It just made him feel like a fool. He glared at the edge of the island. This shouldn’t be so difficult to talk about. Finally, after a few more moments, the words seemed to want to come out. 

“Since the attack,” Steve began, his focus shifting to the floor. “I’ve kind of viewed things in a different way. I realized that I’m missing something. It’s something I’ve always wanted, I guess, but due to all of the missions I had to go on, I just ignored it. It didn’t seem very important. But now it seems to be really important. What I'm missing is a relationship - I want to have a relationship with someone.” Steve’s gaze flicked to Bucky, who nodded a little, urging him on. “You know that I tried to date Sharon, but that didn’t go anywhere. I liked her, just not in that way. I even tried to date other people, but that didn’t work out, either. I didn’t really know what I was searching for, but I knew that no matter how nice those relationships were…they weren’t the one I wanted to be in.” 

“Right,” Bucky said.

Steve nodded. “I had no idea who I wanted to be with. But then Tony went to the gala and he asked me whether or not I was seeing anyone. I told him that I wasn't and he seemed surprised. Like...really surprised." He rubbed the back of his neck. "He asked me if I was waiting for someone but I couldn’t answer because it was time for me to give my closing speech so I had to cut the conversation short. But I kept thinking about his question. It confused me…but then I realized that I was waiting for someone.” Steve cleared him throat and looked at Bucky. 

 

“Him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support! I hope that you liked this chapter.
> 
> I apologize for any typos or grammatical errors that may have slipped through the editing process.


	19. Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! I apologize for the delay.

Bucky didn’t say anything for several minutes. Maybe it was longer than that; Steve wasn’t sure. All he knew was that it seemed like ages had passed since he spoke and Bucky had still not said anything. Steve shook his head and moved towards his half-made dinner. 

“On one hand, I want to call you a fool,” Bucky said. 

Steve stopped assembling his sandwich and looked at him, eyebrows furrowed. 

“Well, I know that I am. I was too late-”

“But on the other hand,” Bucky continued, cutting him off. “I want to congratulate on finally realizing this.” 

Now what was that supposed to mean? Steve crossed his arms over his chest. 

“What are you talking about?” 

Bucky glanced at the ceiling before looking back at him. “You’re a fool for realizing this when he’s married.”

Steve cringed. “Yes, I know that. I didn’t exactly want it to happen this way.” 

Bucky broke a piece of bacon that was lying on the plate and popped it into his mouth. “But, I have to say, I’m thrilled that you finally realized that you had feelings for him. It was dreadful to hear you talk about him.” 

“Sorry for talking about him,” Steve mumbled. “I didn’t realize that it upset you.” 

“Upset me? Oh, no. I didn’t care about you talking about one of your friends. I was glad for it. When we were kids…you didn’t have many friends. You acted like you didn’t need them, but I knew that you wanted them. When you started to talk about the Avengers, especially Tony, I realized that you had finally had found somewhere where you belong.” 

Steve smiled a little. “I did find that.” 

Bucky nodded. “And I’m glad for that. When you were talking about him, I kept waiting for you to tell me that you had feelings for him, but you never mentioned it. The other day I asked Nat if you had talked about it with her but she told me that you never did.” 

Steve let out an exasperated sigh. “Nat knows too?” 

“It’s not as if you act subtle around him.” 

Great. Here he was, thinking that his feelings were well hidden, but now he found out that they weren’t hidden at all. He always thought that he kept his heart protected, but he supposed that he was wrong. 

“Why didn’t you tell me? Either of you?” 

“It wasn’t our place,” Bucky said, shrugging. “And Nat figured that you would figure it out eventually once you stopped dating.” 

Well, this was certainly enlightening. Steve huffed and went to the fridge to grab a beer. He unscrewed the lid and took a long drink from it as he turned over the words that Bucky had just said. It was difficult for him to believe that he had been in love with Tony for years without him ever realizing it. People just didn’t form feelings for someone and somehow be completely oblivious to those feelings. Sure, they showed that in movies but that wasn’t reality. Yet, here he was, contemplating whether or not he had really been oblivious to the fact that he had been in love with Tony far longer than he knew. When, then, had he fallen in love with him? 

“Steve?” Bucky asked, his voice cutting through the daze that Steve had fallen into. 

Steve turned around and smiled sheepishly at him. “Sorry – got lost in my thoughts.” He moved back to the kitchen island. “So…what am I supposed to do now? He’s married, Buck. He has a kid. I won’t do anything to disrupt that.” It pained him to say that, but he definitely wasn’t going to break that family apart. Tony was happy – that’s what mattered most to him. 

“Who says that you have to do anything?” Bucky asked, tilting his head to the side. 

Steve’s eyebrows knitted together. “What do you mean?” 

Bucky took a piece of bacon and munched on it. “Love is a fickle thing. It’s strange, hard to explain, confusing-”

“Buck.” 

“What I’m saying is…you don’t need to do anything. You keep doing whatever you doing. But you also wait and see – maybe Tony will come around.” 

He knew that Bucky meant well, but this was ridiculous. Didn’t he hear anything that he had just said? Tony had a family. He was happy. He wasn’t going to come around. Even if he somehow magically did, Steve would never be able to forgive himself. 

“You know that he won’t, Bucky.” 

“How do you know that? Sometimes people marry the wrong person.” 

“Pepper and Tony are a great couple. Besides, Tony’s not the type of person to marry someone that he isn’t completely in love with.” 

“That may be true. But that doesn’t mean that Pepper is the person he’s meant to be with.” 

Steve rolled his eyes. He’d like to believe what Bucky was saying, but he just couldn’t. He has seen Pepper and Tony together – they make each other happy. He couldn't see Tony ever leaving her.

“She may be the person he’s meant to be with, but you don’t know that. Now that you two are friends again, maybe he’ll realize that he wasn’t actually supposed to be with her.” 

“And is supposed to be with me instead?” He laughed; this whole conversation seemed ridiculous. They were talking about something that most likely wasn’t going to happen. “You don’t need to try to give me hope, Buck.” 

Bucky finished off his beer. “I’m not trying to make you feel better. All I’m saying is that…let Tony figure out what he wants.” 

Figure out what he wants? Well, that seemed somewhat cryptic, but Steve didn’t comment on it. He wasn’t going to discuss this anymore. Discussing it wasn’t going to change anything, it wasn’t going to help him any. The only way anything would be different is if Tony realized that he was with the wrong person, which didn’t seem likely. Which, he supposed was okay, as long as Tony was happy. 

 

 

Bucky ended up staying for dinner after that conversation. He said that all of that talking made him starving, especially since Steve was being so dramatic about all of it. Steve had told him that he wasn’t being dramatic at all, he was just expressing how he felt. The dinner didn’t last long, but it was nice. Steve had missed hanging out with Bucky; it made it feel like old times again. When he was walking towards the door, Bucky looked at Steve. 

“Will you think about what I said?” 

“I don’t know, Buck.” 

“Nothing may happen, Steve…but you never know. As I said, let Tony decide what he wants. Maybe he’ll change his mind.” 

“I think you’re being very optimistic.” 

“No, I’m being realistic. Anyways…just think about it.” 

“Will do, jerk.”

Bucky’s mouth twitched. “Punk.” 

He gave him a quick hug before the brunette left the apartment, leaving Steve to mull over what he had said. He doubted that it would happen, but what if Tony did change his mind? Steve shook the thought out of his head. He wasn’t being realistic. He couldn’t focus on that, anyways. He had to focus on helping rebuild the facility and doing well in his art class – not the ways of Tony Stark’s heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that you enjoyed it! 
> 
> I apologize for any typos or grammatical errors.


	20. Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support! Here's the next chapter.

Art had always acted as an escape for him, but over the past week, it hadn’t been. Steve felt irritated whenever he sat down to draw. It felt like someone was forcing him to draw. He supposed that was true since he was taking an art class, but he still enjoyed drawing even when he was doing an assignment for the class. Even drawing Tony didn’t help him focus any better. Trying to draw him just made his mind wander to the current state of things, which hadn’t changed since Bucky had been to his apartment.

Work seemed to help a little bit, but not as much as he hoped. He would focus on doing one task for a few minutes, but then his mind would go back to Tony, how they used to spend so much time together and no so little. It was so different compared to the time period after the Battle of New York where all of them stayed at Avengers Tower and Tony and him used to spend a lot of time together. Those times weren’t necessarily special, but it was a time where Steve was still finding his footing in modern day society and Tony spent a lot of time showing him the ropes – giving him cooking lessons, telling him shows to watch, books to read, etc. It was overwhelming at the time since there had been so much for Steve to catch up on, but now…he appreciated all the effort Tony had gone through.

One day, while Steve was on his lunch break at the site, he somehow started to think about one of the first times Tony and Steve really spent time with one another outside of the Avengers and missions. The activity itself wasn’t very exciting, but for some reason, it meant a lot to him. Maybe it was because before that, he had just viewed Tony as his colleague. Someone that he talked about his suit design and missions with. That day…well, he had started to become his friend, he supposed.

_“Where are we going?” Steve asked, falling into step with Tony._

_“Now, if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”_

_Steve huffed. “You can’t tell me anything about it?”_

_“What part of surprise is difficult for you to understand?”_

_“I just want to know what I’m walking into," he said softly._

_“But not knowing is the best part of the surprise.”_

_He supposed that Tony was right, but that didn’t make Steve feel any better. Tony had showed up at his bedroom door some time after lunch and had insisted that he go with him. Steve asked him if everything was okay and Tony had said yes but that he had to come with him. He insisted that they needed to some ‘team building’ time. How being with one another instead of the whole team fell into ‘team building’, Steve wasn’t sure, but he knew it was better to just go with whatever Tony was planning. Besides, Tony seemed so excited, he didn’t want to ruin his plans. So, he had went with him._

_“I guess,” Steve muttered._

_“Don’t be such a stick in the mud.” Tony teased. He crossed the street and gestured to the building in front of them: The Natural History Museum. “That is where we will be spending the next hour or so.”_

_Steve eyebrow’s furrowed. “Why this?”_

_Tony shrugged. “I figured that since you were in the ice for so long you’d want to see what you missed. Now, this isn’t as good as the Smithsonian in terms of history…but I thought it’d do for today.”_

_He watched him for a few moments, waiting for the fossil joke to come but it never did, which surprised him._ __There had been plenty of those going around since he had been “de-icicled” as Tony so kindly put it the other day and now had seemed like the perfect time to make one._ _

 

_“Something wrong?” Tony asked, glancing at him._

_“No…nothing’s wrong.” His gaze flicked to the building. “This will definitely do.”_

 

 

_Steve had been to the the museum before, but seeing it now was a completely different experience. Over the years, the museum had collected so many new artifacts. He couldn’t believe how much the museum had grown since the last time he saw it. It had been great then, but now...it was even better. Tony led them through the different exhibits, pointing out different facts that he found interesting. Steve wandered the halls slowly, eyes wide as he took in everything. Tony kept pace next to him, never wandering too far off if Steve stopped to read something._

_Eventually, once they made their way through the majority of the halls, they left the museum. On the way home, they stopped at this cupcake shop that Tony insisted made the best cupcakes. Steve got a vanilla cupcake with red frosting while Tony got a chocolate one with blue frosting. The cupcake practically melted in Steve’s mouth as he ate it. It was definitely one of the best cupcakes he had tasted._

_“See?” Tony asked, grinning._

_“I do.” He took another bite of the cupcake, finishing it off. He tossed the wrapper into a trash can as they approached Avengers tower. “Thanks, Tony…this was a good surprise.”_

_“Did you just thank me?”_

_Steve rolled his eyes but laughed. “Yeah, well, don’t get too used to it.”_

_“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Tony teased._

 

After that, something had seemed to shift in their relationship. Steve couldn’t exactly put his finger on what had changed, but something had. Maybe they had become more open with one another. After that, they were more honest with how they were feeling and what they thought. Or, at least, that’s how it seemed to Steve. Or, maybe their relationship didn’t change that much after that - he was giving the whole event too much importance. Steve sighed and tossed the wrapper of the sandwich he had been eating into the trash. Grabbing his construction hat, Steve got back to work.

 

The rest of the day went by thankfully without thinking too much about Tony. Whenever he felt his mind start to wander, he’d force it back to the task at hand. Not that he was always successful at that. But he supposed at least being able to control his thoughts a bit was progress. At the end of the day, Steve said goodbye to some of the people he had been supervising and walked towards the exit. He walked to the parking spot where his motorcycle was parked. His phone buzzed in his pocket right before he was about to head home; he took his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. A text was sprawled across the screen.

 

_Want to grab dinner? I’m in the city for business and I’m starving._

 

Steve’s gaze fixed upon the screen. He hadn’t seen Tony since that night where he drawn that art piece for him. What should he do? Certainly he couldn’t see him again. Not after what he thought, what he almost did. But…Bucky had told him to let Tony dictate things. So, did that mean that he should meet Tony for dinner? Steve wasn’t sure how long he stared at the screen for, but eventually he felt his thumbs moving across the screen, tapping letters the letters needed for a message. He sent the message and let out a breath. Well, there went his plan for avoiding Tony.

 

His phone went off a few seconds later.

_Great. I’ll see you soon._

 

Along with the message was the address of the place. Steve smiled softly at it; he knew exactly the place Tony had chosen, and thankfully, he had just enough time to get to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! I hope that you enjoyed it. 
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment or kudos. :)


	21. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Steve meet at a restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support! Here is the next chapter.

Thirty minutes later, Steve found himself in front of a quaint pizza place that Tony had shown him during one of his first weekends as an Avenger. He had been starving after his workout – he had done a longer one that day – and Tony had suggested that they grab a bite to eat since he was hungry, too. He had taken him to this pizza place, claiming that it was the best pizza he’d ever had. Steve had thought that he was bluffing, but he had been right. That was one of the best meals he’d ever had. 

Steve crossed his arms and looked both directions, trying to see if Tony was walking towards him, which he quickly found out that he wasn’t. Sighing, Steve went inside of the restaurant, thinking that maybe the brunette had gotten there before him and was inside. 

“Took you long enough,” a voice said. Steve glanced to his left; Tony was leaning against a wall, arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing a black cardigan with a gray t-shirt underneath and dark jeans. “I was starting to wonder if you’d gotten lost.” 

Steve shook his head. “Of course not.” He could never forget about this place. 

Tony peeled away from the wall and smirked. “Glad to hear that.” He glanced at the hostess who had just returned to her stand. “Table for two, please.” 

The hostess nodded, completely unfazed that Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were at the restaurant. Steve wasn’t sure if she just didn’t care about who they were or if Tony had visited this place so many times that it didn’t seem surprising when he swung by. She led them to a table off to the right, near a window that looked out into a courtyard that was between this building and the one next to it. 

“Your waitress will be right with you,” she said, placing menus on the table before leaving. 

“Thank you,” Steve said. He sat down across from Tony. 

“Always the gentleman,” Tony mused. 

Steve laughed. “I’m not sure about that. I was just being polite.”   
“Well, some people don’t bother to be polite.” 

“I suppose you’re right.” 

Tony’s lips parted but then he closed them; he glanced at the menu before him. Steve frowned and watched Tony, hoping that he would say whatever he had been planning on saying. Several moments passed without Tony saying anything. Frowning, Steve focused on his own menu. The menu consisted of almost every type pizza imaginable: pepperoni pizza, sausage pizza, pesto pizza, macaroni and cheese pizza, a fruit salad pizza, a pizza that had a salad on top of it. Steve wasn’t sure if they had left any pizza off of the menu. 

“What are you going to get?” Tony asked. 

Steve peered at Tony from over his menu. “I’m not sure yet. You?” 

“I was going to get the sausage and pineapple pizza.” Steve made a face. “Really? That combination is that bad?” 

“Onions and pineapple do not belong on a pizza together.” 

“Well, you don’t have to have any, then,” Tony replied, smirking. “More for me.” 

The waitress arrived at their table, a glass of water in each hand. She placed one in front of each of them. She introduced herself and asked them if they were ready to order. Steve shook his head; Tony put an order of garlic bread in that they could split and told her that they’d need a few more minutes before they ordered their meal. She nodded and padded away from their table. 

“So, how’s the art piece coming along?” Tony asked after a few minutes had passed. Steve glanced at him. 

“It’s…going,” Steve said. 

“That doesn’t sound very reassuring.” 

“I’m still working on it. It’s taking a bit longer than I thought to finish.” 

Tony smirked. “Having difficulty capturing my essence?” he teased. 

Steve smiled at him, but the smile didn’t quite have the warmth that it usually did. The joke was a perfectly fine joke to make, but it hit a little close to home for him. He had been having a difficult time coloring in the drawing because it reminded him of that night, how close he was to doing something stupid. Something that Tony probably would not have forgiven. Maybe he was overreacting to that whole event, but that’s what he thought about every time he looked at the drawing. 

“You could say that.”   
“Well, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” 

Steve nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. How’s work going?” 

Tony let out a groan. “I just left work and you’re asking me how work was?” 

“Sorry,” Steve mumbled. “You don’t have to talk about it.” He knew that work wasn’t his favorite topic, but he figured that since he had been in a meeting practically all day, he wouldn’t mind talking about how it went. 

“It’s fine. Work was boring. The board kept telling me that I was wrong about my calculations for a new project we have coming up - we’re investing in solar technology for buildings – but when they finally allowed me to do the calculations in front of them, they agreed with me.”

“That sounds tedious.” 

“It was.” 

The waitress came back to their table with a basket of garlic bread. The aroma of garlic and butter weaved its way into the air. Oh, god, it smelled delicious. The waitress looked at Steve and asked, with a wink, if she could get him anything. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tony’s mouth purse into a thin line. Well, that was certainly interesting. Steve switched his attention back to her and grinned. 

“I’d like to have your sausage pizza with onions.”

The waitress nodded and turned to Tony. 

“Anything for you?” She stared out the window that was behind Tony. 

“I’ll have the pineapple and sausage pizza.”

“That’ll be out shortly,” the waitress said. She pivoted on her heels and left. 

Steve glanced at Tony, who was watching the waitress put their orders in the computer. 

“Everything okay?” Steve asked. 

“Yes. It’s just odd, not getting any attention.” 

“Maybe she’s more of a Captain America fan.” 

“Clearly. Just is odd. I saved the universe…you’d think she’d be thrilled to see me.” 

“I’m sure she was.” 

“Could’ve fooled me,” Tony muttered. He tore off a piece of bread and popped it into his mouth. 

Steve watched him for a few moments, his gaze roaming over his face. For some reason, his reaction bothered him. Steve hadn’t seen Tony not get attention very often, but he had seen it enough to know that this was not a typical reaction. Usually he would tilt his head to the side and ask them if they really didn’t know who he was and most of the time, they’d say no. Then they’d ask him for a picture with him.

“Why don’t you tell her who you are then?” Steve offered. 

Tony shrugged by way of answering. He popped another piece of bread into his mouth. “You should have some.” He pushed the basket over to Steve, who tore off piece of bread and bit into it. “Good, right?”   
Steve nodded. “Yeah, it is.”

Tony didn’t say anything for a few moments, his gaze on the table. Steve was tempted to say something, but he didn’t want to interrupt whatever thoughts that were going through Tony’s mind. Finally, Tony spoke. 

“I’m sorry that I was kind of distant before.” 

Steve furrowed his eyebrows; this was definitely not what he had been expecting. He shook his head.

“There’s nothing to apologize for.” 

“Yes, there is,” Tony said. “I know that we were growing closer before the time heist and then after…I just kind of disappeared for a bit. That wasn’t right of me.” 

“It’s okay, Tony. You were healing. I understood.” 

“I could have at least texted you,” Tony said. “You know - let you know how I was feeling.” 

Steve knew that he should just accept the apology, but he didn’t understand why Tony was apologizing. He wasn’t upset that Tony didn’t contact him for a bit after the battle. He knew that Tony was healing. Sure, he didn’t like it at the time…but they eventually talked again. That’s all that mattered to him. 

“Tony, there’s no need to apologize.” 

Tony sighed deeply. “Can you please not be stubborn and just accept my apology? I know that you may not be upset with me about it, but I feel like my behavior wasn’t right, so I want to apologize for that.” 

Steve wanted to tell him that his apology wasn’t necessary, but he knew that Tony wasn’t going to let this go; he obviously felt bad for what happened after the battle. 

“I forgive you, Tony,” Steve said softly. 

Tony nodded. “See? What that so hard? And now I feel better.” 

“No, it wasn’t.” 

The waitress brought over their pizzas, placing one in front of each of them. Steve thanked her before she left them alone. They each started on their pizzas; silence fell over the table. Eventually, once they had eaten a bit, the conversation started back up again, but this time they talked about other things like books, movies, and other things that they hadn’t talked about in a while. As the conversation progressed, Steve felt himself relaxing, even smiling at some points. He had missed this – being just with Tony, away from the Avengers and functions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope that you liked it.


	22. Some time after the Battle of New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a flashback chapter taking some time after the Battle of New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: 
> 
> In the MCU, the Avengers technically never live together in Avengers Tower. However, in this fic, they briefly lived together for a short time after the battle. Then, they went on their own ways just like they did in the MCU at the end of Avengers.

A massive thunderstorm had struck New York City which made Steve not want to go outside. He didn't mind thunderstorms, but he didn't like walking around the city in them. So, he decided to spend the day reading. Normally he would read in his room - he enjoyed reading where it was quiet, but today he decided to read in the living room. He wanted a change of scenery and he liked watching the rain patter the large windows that lined the living room. 

He sat on the corner of the couch, a blue blanket draped over his legs, a paperback in his hands. When he decided to read in the living room, he was afraid that it would be busy, but thankfully it was empty. Steve didn’t mind living with the others, but he knew that he would never get to read if they were around. Just as he was about to turn the page, he heard a familiar voice.

 

“Steve? In the family room? Someone notify the news because this is shocking.”

  
Steve glanced over his shoulder. Tony stood behind him wearing a gray tracksuit. His hands were tucked into his jacket pockets.

 

“It’s not _that_ shocking, Tony.”

 

Tony shook his head. “No, it’s definitely shocking. Pray tell, what made you come out here?”

 

Steve shrugged. "Just thought it'd be nice to have a change of scenery."

 

“Ah.” He walked over and sat down next to him. “What are you reading?”

 

“The Great Gatsby. It was on one of those '100 books you should read' lists, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

 

“Good pick, old sport,” Tony replied, smirking.

 

“You know it?”

 

“Of course. It’s a little dull, but there are worse books out there.”

 

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you saying that it’s not worth reading?”

 

“No, it’s definitely worth reading. When you’re finished with that though, I have a list of other books that you should read.”

 

“Really?”

 

Tony chuckled. “No need to sound so surprised. I like reading.”

 

Steve blushed and shook his head. “That wasn’t what I meant-”

 

“I know, Steve. I was just joking.” He crossed one leg over the other and pivoted towards Steve. “But yes, I can make a list of books I can give you. I’m not sure if you’ll like all of them, but it’ll be interesting to hear your thoughts.”

 

“I’ll be happy to read them.” It would actually be interesting to see which books Tony liked.

 

“Of course you would be - I have impeccable taste,” Tony replied, smirking. “I’ll give them to you as soon as the list is complete.”

 

Steve smiled brightly at him. Reading books shouldn’t make him this excited, but the fact that Tony was going to spend the time to create a list for him meant a lot to him, especially since he knew how busy Tony was with work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day, when Steve was in his bedroom sketching a picture of the Iron Man mask, Tony knocked on his door before coming in. 

 

“The list has arrived,” Tony said, crossing the bedroom to Steve’s desk. He held up the list in one hand.

 

Steve closed his sketchbook before Tony could see what he was working on and turned towards him. If Tony saw what he was drawing, he'd always tease him about it.  Tony eyed the sketchbook; his lips parted, as if he was about to ask a question. Steve braced himself for the question that he was sure that Tony wanted to ask, but Tony just placed the list on his desk. 

 

“It isn’t very long,” the brunette said, gesturing to the list. “But it has some of my favorite books.”

 

Steve glanced at the paper and frowned; he didn't recognize most of them. 

 

“Thank you, Tony…for doing this. I appreciate it.”

 

“No need to thank me.” He pointed to number three on the list: _The Picture of Dorian Gray_. “I’d start with that one first.”

 

Steve peered down at the title. “Okay, thanks. I will." 

 

“I’d let you borrow my copy but I’ve scribbled all over it.”

 

“That’s okay, Tony. I can get my own copy.”

 

“When you finish it, we can compare notes.” Tony grinned at him.

 

“Sounds like a plan.” Steve smiled back at him; he couldn’t help it. Tony’s smile was contagious.

 

 

A week and a half after that conversation, Steve finished _The Picture of Dorian Gray._ He closed the book and exhaled slowly. Well that was certainly an experience. And now he understood why Tony had made notes all over his copy of it. A small smile appeared on his face; there was something sweet, almost endearing, about Tony getting so invested in this book that he had to make marks all over it to express his thoughts.

 

Steve shut his book and bounded out of his bedroom. He practically ran to Tony’s lab, hoping that he’d be there. Sure enough, Tony was standing near his table which had a holograph suspended above it. Steve placed his hand on the scanner outside of the door; the door unlocked. He walked in and held the book in the air.

 

“I finished it,” Steve said proudly.

 

Tony glanced towards him.

 

“And? What did you think?”

 

“It was interesting.”

 

“Did you like it?”

 

Steve nodded. “I can’t believe that I never read this before.”

 

“Well, you’ve read it now.”

 

"Since you're busy I can come back another time to talk about it -," Steve said, worried that he had overstepped. He should have just told him that he had finished it when all of the Avengers and them ate dinner together. 

 

Tony closed whatever he was working on – it looked like a new Iron Man suit and glanced at him. “We can talk about it right now.”

 

“Oh.” Steve blinked. “Sure, but only if you don’t mind.”

 

“Mind? Of course not. I’ll meet you in your bedroom in a few.”

 

Nodding, Steve left the lab and went to his bedroom. His lips spread into a smile; he couldn’t wait to discuss the book with him, especially since he didn’t think Tony would want to talk about it today. He tidied up his bedroom a bit, wanting it to look nice for him. He doubted that Tony would care, but he did. By the time he was finished, Tony appeared in his doorway, book in hand.

 

“Were you just tidying up?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

Steve blushed. “Come on…let’s talk about the book.”

 

Tony laughed and moved into the room, taking a seat on his bed.

 

“Okay. You start.”

 

They began to talk about the book, sharing their opinions and ideas about the characters and the plot. Sometimes they would get off topic, but Steve didn’t care. It was nice to do something with Tony that wasn’t just fighting bad guys or talking about how he was so behind in technology and pop culture (which Tony found to be a great offense). To find something that they both liked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! I really appreciate it. 
> 
> I apologize for any typos or grammatical errors.


	23. Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter!

After his dinner with Tony, Steve knew that he had to finish the drawing. Tony seemed pretty understanding when he told him that he hadn’t finished it yet, but he felt bad for not having it finished. So, he had to complete it. Besides, he couldn’t just start a project like this and not finish it. Steve ended up promising him that he’d have it finished within the next few days. He still didn’t exactly want to look at the drawing because it reminded him of that night, but at this point, that didn't matter. The next morning, Steve sat down in front of his easel.

 He took out his phone to take a picture of the drawing; he sent it to Tony.

_Finally about to work on the drawing._

He set his phone on the small table next to him that was littered with colored pencils. Steve moved his chair closer to the easel; he let out a soft sigh when he realized just how much work he still had to do on the portrait. He had managed to complete about a fourth of the drawing so far.

Steve placed a gray hairband in his hair - he still hadn’t gotten it cut - so it wouldn’t fall into his face while he worked. Grabbing a colored pencil, he set to work, shading in the drawing. He stuck his tongue out through his lips as he colored; he didn’t know why he did that, but it made him feel like he concentrated better. When Steve was about halfway finished the portrait, his phone buzzed next to him. He glanced at the screen.

_Took you long enough. I better look good in it._

Steve rolled his eyes. He wanted to tell him that he always looked good, but he opted not to say that. He probably wouldn’t hear the end of it. He typed out a reply and sent it.

_You know that I’ll try my best._

The little dots appeared on the screen; a few seconds later, a message appeared.

_I’m sure you will. Keep me updated._

With that, Steve went back to work, determined to try to get this completed by the end of the day. He wasn’t sure if he would, but he’d certainly try.

It turned out that shading the portrait took a lot longer than Steve thought it would. Once he was about three-fourths of the way through, Steve paused because he was growing frustrated at how _bad_ it was looking. He wasn’t sure how it could go from looking okay to terrible within a span of a few hours, but that’s what happened. Working when he was frustrated never was a good idea, so Steve decided to do other things instead, like clean his apartment and go to the gym. The blonde didn’t return to his easel until the next afternoon. Even a day later, he still didn’t like the way that the portrait looked, but he had to get the picture done. He supposed that he could ask Tony to come back, but he wasn’t going to restart this process all over again. Not that he would mind that; he just didn’t want Tony to have to sit for another few hours while he sketched him.

Steve exhaled slowly and rolled his shoulders back. He could do this. It didn’t have to be perfect, it just had to be close to that. Nodding to himself, Steve picked up a pencil and began to shade.

 

 

 

A few hours later, the portrait was finished. Well, at least everything was shaded in. Steve was sure that he could work on it more, but he didn’t know if he needed to. It seemed good enough for him. He moved away from the easel and picked up his phone; he dialed Tony’s number. The brunette picked up on the second ring.

“Steve?” Tony asked. He sounded surprised for some reason.

“Yes. Sorry- is this a bad time?”

“Not at all. I’m just working in my lab.”

Steve imagined Tony in his lab, tinkering away at whatever he was building. His hair was probably sticking out in every direction and he probably had a coffee mug in hand or close to him. That’s usually how he was when he had seen Tony in his lab before. He smiled softly at the image.

“Ah, okay. I...er, your portrait is finished.”

“Only took an age,” Tony teased.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck and paced around his living room. “Yeah, I know it took a while. I’m sorry about that-”

“Steve, it’s fine. I was joking.” He paused for a moment. “Were you planning on sending it to me or did you want me to pick it up?”

Steve paused and stared at the wall in front of him. Sending it to Tony had never actually occurred to him. He figured the man would just pick it up so it wouldn't get ruined by shipping packaging, but if Steve wanted him to send it to him, he would.

“Whatever you prefer.”

“I’ll swing by, then.”

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I wasn’t. I’ll be there around four - does that work?”

Steve thought about his plans for tomorrow; as of now, he didn’t think that he had any plans. Even if he went to the site in the morning, he’d be back by that time.

“Sure, four works.”

“Great. Anything else?”

Steve thought for a moment. He could mention the things that he had been thinking about, but he knew that he couldn’t talk about them with Tony. “No, that’s all,” Steve replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He hung up and turned towards Tony’s painting. Some parts hadn’t turned out exactly the way he wanted, but he supposed that it wasn’t too bad. Tony would approve of it. At least, he hoped that he would.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for your continued support.


	24. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony visits Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! Hope that you like it.

Surprisingly, Steve’s breathing hadn’t skyrocketed to a fast pace only ten minutes before Tony arrived. He had thought that it would, given what happened the last time Tony was here. He was still nervous that Tony wouldn’t like how the portrait turned out, but he couldn’t do anything about that now. Besides, from what he could remember, Tony _had_ seemed to like the drawing that day. Surely he would like it now that Steve had completed it. Those thoughts didn’t stop Steve from pacing in the hall in front of his front door, though. Steve nearly jumped upon hearing someone knock on the door. Swearing, he walked over to the door and opened it.

 

Tony smirked at Steve. “Miss me?” he asked.

 

Steve’s tongue felt thick in his mouth. “Of course,” he forced himself to say as calmly as he could.

 

Tony’s smile widened. “Well, I wouldn’t expect anything else.” He clapped his hands together and walked into Steve’s apartment.

 

Steve stared at Tony’s back; his cheeks grew warm. Why did he have to say _of course_? He could’ve said anything else, but he had to say “of course” like he had been waiting to be reunited with him. _Idiot,_ he thought to himself. Sighing, Steve followed him into the living room, where Tony’s portrait was still sitting on the easel. Tony stood in front of it, his head tilted to the side.

 

Steve bit his lip. “What do you think?”

 

“It’s…” Tony paused, as if considering his next words. Steve braced himself; he hated it. He knew that he hated it. He was just trying to find the right words to let Steve down. “…great, Steve. Exactly what I wanted.”

 

Steve exhaled; he took a step closer to him. “Really?”

 

“Why would I lie?”

 

“To make me feel better?”

 

“And why would I do that?”

 

“Because you know that I spent a lot of time working on this?”

 

Tony let out a soft laugh. “Well. That would be a good reason to lie, but I’m not lying to you, Steve.”

 

Steve wasn’t convinced. He trusted Tony, but he knew that Tony wouldn’t necessarily tell him if he absolutely hated the drawing after he put so much time and energy into it.

 

“Steve,” Tony said, pivoting on his heels to look at the blonde.

 

“What?”

 

He took a step closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Steve’s gaze flicked from Tony’s hand to Tony. The man was standing so close, he could smell his cologne. Steve looked down at the floor, worried that if he looked up, he'd do something stupid. 

 

“I really, really, like it.

 

Steve sucked in a breath. “Really?” He didn’t know why it was so hard to believe him. Tony would be honest with him either way. It wouldn’t be like Tony to say that he liked it when he really didn’t, regardless of how long Steve had worked on the project.

 

"Yes." 

 

“I’m glad that you do,” Steve replied; he finally looked up at him. Tony smiled softly at him before letting his hand drop from Steve’s shoulder. “Do you want me to put it in a frame?” The blonde took step back, creating some distance between them. 

 

“You have one?”

 

“I figured that you may want one.”

 

Tony shook his head and smiled. “You never cease to amaze me, Steve.”

 

The comment took Steve so off guard that for a second, he thought that he hadn’t heard him correctly. All he had done was mention that he could frame the picture, but here Tony was, complimenting him for saying that? It didn’t make sense. Anyone would have offered that. 

 

“How do you mean?”

 

Tony shrugged. “You’re just always prepared.”

 

“I wouldn’t say that.”

 

“Just take the compliment, okay?”

 

Steve stared at him for a few moments, searching his face. When he saw no trace of amusement in Tony's face, his shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh.

 

“Thank you, Tony. You too.”

 

Tony grinned. “Oh, I know that, darling. But thank you.”

 

The fact that Tony Stark called him ‘darling’ did not go missed by Steve. The word bounced around his head; his cheeks grew warm. Leave it to Tony to make him blush from just one word. This wasn’t the first time that Steve had been called darling, but for some reason, it felt different this time. Like the name weighed more, meant more. Which was utterly ridiculous. Steve watched him for a few moments, lost in his thoughts. When he realized that he had been staring at Tony for a bit too long, he cleared his throat.

 

“Let me get that frame for you,” he said.

 

He raced out of the room and retrieved the frame from his bedroom, where he had placed it earlier today because he wasn’t sure if Tony would want it. The frame was a light tan, which would help people’s eyes be drawn to the portrait. Steve returned with the frame and set it down on the table. He glanced at Tony, who was still standing in front of the picture.

 

“Here’s the frame - do you like it?”

 

Tony turned around and looked at the frame; he nodded. “I like it a lot.”

 

Steve smiled softly and started to carefully place the portrait within the frame, careful not to cause any creases in the paper. He pressed the back of the frame into place and held the portrait up to Tony, silently asking him what he thought of it.

 

“It’s perfect.”

 

The blonde placed the frame back on the coffee table. He tucked his hands into his pockets and looked at Tony.

 

“What is it?” Tony asked, glancing up at him.

 

“I...just didn't know what your plans were after this.” 

 

He winced as the words left his mouth. Geez, could that have been any more awkward? He had been with Tony for years now; he thought that he would have adopted some of his charm by now.

 

“I actually have to get going...I promised Morgan I’d be home in time for dinner.”

 

Ah, right. Tony picked up the portrait and tucked it under his arm. He pivoted in Steve’s direction.

 

“Thank you again, Steve.”

 

“It was nothing, Tony. I was happy to do it.”

 

Tony nodded and walked to the front door, Steve on his heels. Steve opened the door for him, allowing Tony to pass. The brunette turned around to face him.

 

“I meant to ask you earlier - I have an event next week...it’s a function – basically a party- for the new climate change initiative that Stark Industries is implementing. You’re more than welcome to come, if you want.”

 

In the past, Steve had gone to a few of Tony’s events that he held for Stark Industries, but the last one he had attended was ages ago and all of the other Avengers were invited to it, too. Tony had never actually outright asked him if he wanted to go, either. It had always been brought up over dinner or when all of them were hanging out. This was definitely different, which is why Steve just stared at him, at a complete loss for words. 

 

“Why are you staring at me like I have multiple heads?” Tony asked, tilting his head to the side.

 

He snapped out of his thoughts; pink spread across his cheeks. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to.” He cleared his throat. “I’d love to go.”

 

“Great. I’ll send you the details later.” He winked at him. “I’ll see you later.” Tony padded away from him, leaving Steve standing there, staring at his back, completely bewildered by what just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your continued support! 
> 
> Feel free to let me know if there are any typos or grammatical errors. I did edit this chapter, but a few might've slipped through.


	25. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve was invited to a Stark Industries' function and now he's having second thoughts about going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter!

The answer should’ve been simple; Steve should just go to the event because he told Tony that he would go to it. It _wasn’t_ that easy though. It was the farthest thing from it, in fact. On one hand, he thought that he should go to the event because he told Tony that he would go; it would be rude not to. On the _other_ hand, he thought that it was a very bad idea to go. He could make a fool out of himself, or worse, somehow make a fool out of Tony. How'd he do that, he wasn't sure, but things had a way of backfiring on him. Steve tried to tell himself that this wasn’t that big of a decision, that he should just go, but that didn’t stop him from ruminating over what he should do. Which is exactly why he decided to talk to Bucky and Natasha the night before the event.

 

“The answer is obvious,” Nat said.

  
“And what’s that?” Steve asked, pacing in his living room.

 

“Go.”

 

“But –,” Steve began, but he got cut off by Bucky.

 

“I agree with Nat.”

 

Steve sighed. “Of course you do.”

  
  
“I told you when I was there to let Tony take the lead – that’s what he’s doing,” Bucky said.

 

“Exactly,” Nat replied.

 

“It’s really not that simple,” Steve mumbled.

 

“What’s the worst thing that can happen?” Nat asked.

 

Did they not pay attention to anything that he had just said? He spent the last fifteen minutes going over his predicament.

 

“I could…”

 

“Do something stupid?” Bucky offered.

 

Steve sighed. “Yes.”

 

"Well you do have a tendency to do that." 

 

“ _Now_ is not the time for that, Buck," Natasha said sternly. "Steve, you won’t. You’re a good friend to him, Steve, and you’re going to go there to support him, just like you have before.”

 

Well…she did have a point. Maybe he _was_ thinking too much about this. All Tony did was invite him to the event. He probably invited him because he wanted Steve to support him. Steve still had reservations about going, but he could definitely go to show his support. 

 

“Nat has a point, Steve.”

 

Steve nodded even though they couldn’t see him. “Yeah, I know. I’ll go. You’re right.”

 

“Of course I am,” Nat said. “Let us know how it goes, okay?”

 

“Sure.” Unless it goes terribly wrong, then he wouldn't tell them. 

 

Steve said goodbye to them and hung up. He pulled on some workout clothes and headed out for a run; he hoped that would help clear his head and temporarily forget about the event that was tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

The next day, Steve spent his morning and part of his afternoon at the construction site for the facility. He hadn’t done much building, but he helped supervise different teams of people. When he arrived that the facility, he had wanted to get rid of some of the extra energy that had been buzzing through his body, but Happy told him no. So Steve spent most of the day supervising. When Happy wasn't around though, Steve had snuck in some building in here and there though, which seemed to help dissipate some of his nerves.

 

Around four thirty, Steve made his way home so he had enough time to get ready for the event. The event didn’t start until seven, so he had plenty of time. At least he thought that he would have enough time. It turned out that he didn’t have enough time.

 

He glanced at the clock and groaned; the event was in twenty minutes and Steve was still not on his way. He wasn’t even dressed yet - he had just gotten out of the shower. He _did_ have his outfit lying on the bed, though. The blonde looked at his reflection in the mirror and carded his hands through his hair, smoothing out the sides. Once the stray stands of hair were put in place, Steve sped over to his bed. He glanced at the time. Fifteen minutes before it started. _Damnit,_ he thought.  _Pick up the pace, Rogers._  He changed into the suit and tied a navy blue tie around his neck as quickly as he could. Ten minutes to go. He glanced in the mirror and smoothed out his suit. Satisfied with how he looked, Steve ran out of his bedroom. He grabbed his wallet, phone, and keys on the way out of his apartment. He doubted rushing like this would get him to the event on time, but he had to try.

 

A silver car was waiting for him right outside of his apartment – he had called one before he got in the shower. He got in and told the driver the address of the function.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The car pulled in front of a tan building that had stairs leading up to it. Steve glanced at his watch; he was five minutes late. Well, at least that was something. Better than ten minutes late. 

 

“Thank you,” Steve told the driver. He gave him some money and got out of the car. His hands ran over his suit, smoothing out any wrinkles in his suit. Some people dressed in long gown dresses and suits brushed past him. One of the women muttered something about Tony Stark to a man who was next to her. Well, at least he knew that he was in the right place. Taking in a breath, Steve followed them into the hotel.

 

Groups of people mingled in the lobby; waiters with white button down shirts and black ties walked around the room with trays of champagne flutes. Some people who were standing along the edge of the room made their way up the staircase in the back of the lobby, which Steve assumed led to the room in which the event would take place. A waitress walked over to Steve and offered him champagne, but Steve declined. He’d probably have some later; first, he wanted to find Tony and congratulate him on his big night, just like Tony had when Steve was hosting the Avengers event.

 

The blonde made his way through the crowd and up the stairs. He turned left on the landing, towards a room that had both of its' doors open. Classical music swept into the hall from the room. Steve walked closer to the room, his gaze settling on a sign next to one of the doors, which read: _Stark Industries Event_. Smiling to himself, Steve entered the room. He didn't get very far before pausing, his eyes widening at the interior of the room. Along the walls were white columns of granite that met crown molding that had a diamond pattern engraved in it. The ceiling was painted white; three chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a soft glow to the room. In the center of the room were round tables that some people sat at; others stood around them, talking to the people next to them. On the opposite side of the room, there appeared to be a small stage that had a podium on it. The room was, in short, beautiful. Nothing like Steve had ever seen before.

 

Steve made his way deeper into the room, his gaze scanning the crowd. He frowned when he realized that Tony was no where to be found. This _was_ his event, right? Steve bit his lip and glanced around the room again. Perhaps this was a different Stark Industries event. Maybe the one that Tony was in was in a different room. But, he didn't believe that there could be two events at the hotel hosted by the same company. His gaze surveyed the crowd again. Where was he, then? Frowning, he padded over to one of the waitresses who was near him.

 

“Is this the only Stark Industries event being held here?” Steve asked. 

 

The waitress nodded. “Yes, it is.”

 

“Okay, thanks.”

 

Steve’s gaze roamed the room again. Well, that meant Tony had to be around here somewhere. He just had to find where; with how crowded the room was though, Steve doubted that he would be finding him any time soon. Besides, Tony was probably moving around the room anyways, so it would make sense to stay in one place just in case he walked past. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bar tucked in the corner of the room. Perfect. Steve padded over to the bar which had a few people standing near it. He took a seat at the bar and glanced around the room again. He thought maybe he'd see him from a different vantage point. Still, no sign of Tony. Where could he be?

 

Steve sighed and looked in front of him. The bartender walked over to him.

 

“What can I get you?” the bartender asked.

 

“A whiskey would be good.”

 

“I’ll be right back,” the bartender replied.

 

The bartender returned with a glass of whiskey, placing it on a napkin in front of Steve. Steve mumbled his thanks and turned his chair so he could see the room. Still, no sign of Tony. _Stop looking for him,_ Steve ordered himself. _He’ll show up eventually._ Unless he decided to ditch tonight’s event at the last minute, which he doubted, but Tony could have chosen not to come and not have notified Steve.

 

Steve turned towards the bar again and leaned over his drink. He fished his phone out of his pockets; no new messages. Steve stared at the screen; maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it meant that Tony was at the event. At least he hoped that he was. He downed the rest of his drink and ordered another one.

 

Twenty minutes later, Steve wondered if he had made a mistake by coming here. He still hadn’t seen Tony and when he looked to see if there was anyone else he knew, he couldn’t find anyone. He had thought that Natasha and Rhodey were going to be here, but perhaps he had been wrong. Steve pivoted in his chair and looked around the room; more seemed to be taking their seats, but a lot of people were still standing in the middle of the room and along the sides. Still, no Tony in sight. Sighing, Steve turned back to the bar. Perhaps he should just go home and tell Tony that he had come but he couldn’t find him to congratulate him. Yeah, that would be a good idea. When Steve tried to get up though, his body wouldn’t move. He _wanted_ to leave but he had told Tony that he would come, so he wasn’t going to go back on what he said. Technically he had fulfilled that statement, but he still thought leaving early like this just because he hadn’t seen Tony yet wasn’t the right thing to do. The blonde sighed and sat back in his chair; yes, he wasn’t going to leave. At least not yet.

 

Ten minutes later, Steve was very close to leaving. Tony still hadn’t made an appearance. He had thought about walking around the room, but he still thought that this was the best place to be. Besides, he liked this seat; he could see the design of the room, which he was still in awe over. Steve was staring up at the ceiling when he heard a voice.

 

“Appreciating the view?”

 

It was a voice that Steve would always recognize, no matter how much time had passed. His gaze flicked in the direction of the voice. Tony was standing a few feet in front of him, hands tucked into his navy blue trousers. Steve smiled softly.

 

“It’s very well done.”

 

Tony glanced up at the ceiling. “It is.” He closed the distance between them so he was standing only a few inches away from Steve. “Have you been sitting here the whole time?”

 

Steve blushed and looked down. “I wasn’t sure where else to sit, so I decided to sit here.”

 

“You know, you could’ve sat at the seat I saved for you.” Tony pointed to a table that had two places that were empty.

 

Steve’s blush darkened. “Well…I didn’t know when dinner was going to be served so I just sat here instead.”

 

“No worries. Anyways. Would you like to sit at the table? Dinner is going to be served soon. Or you could continue to sit here, if you'd like.”

 

"No, that's fine. I'll sit at the table." 

 

Steve followed the brunette through the maze of tables to the one that was in the front of the room. Upon closer inspection, Steve saw that Happy and Pepper were at the table, along with some people that he didn’t recognize. Stark Industries executives, he assumed. Pepper stood up when she saw Steve.

 

“Oh, Steve, it’s great to see you,” Pepper said, leaning in to give Steve a hug.

 

“You too,” Steve replied.

 

The blonde gave her a hug, if it could even be called that. He swung one arm around her shoulders and let go within a few seconds. If Pepper noticed the brief hug, she didn’t say anything. She just smiled at him and glanced at Tony.

 

“The speeches are about to start,” Pepper said. “You two may want to sit down.”

 

Tony nodded and gestured for Steve to sit. He took a seat next to Happy and placed the napkin that was resting on his plate in his lap. Tony took a seat next to Steve; Pepper sat on the other side of him. Happy stood up to address the room; he announced that everyone should take their seat because dinner would be served. The guests complied, swiftly taking their seats. More waiters entered the room with silver trays and began to make their way around the room, delivering the first course to each guest. Meanwhile, a man with gray hair stepped up to the podium that was near their table. People fell silent when he taped the microphone. Steve shifted so he could see him better. The man launched into his speech, which officially began the night’s festivities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter.


	26. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The function continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter - I apologize about that.

The night went quickly, much to Steve's surprise. Steve had thought that with all of the speeches and food courses, it would’ve dragged on, but it didn’t; each speech was somehow the perfect length and the food courses seemed to appear within minutes after they had finished with the previous course. The conversation at the table wasn’t horrible, either. It seemed to flow smoothly and everyone was included in it. Steve even talked more than he thought he would. When he had finished his dessert, though, he didn't feel the need to stay. Tony and Pepper were talking to each other near the table and only a few people remained at the table. 

Steve excused himself from the table before saying bye to Tony and Pepper, but they didn't hear him. They were having a hushed, but tense conversation. He didn't quite know what it was about. Sighing, he made his way out the room. He had just made it to the lobby when he heard steps behind him; he turned around and raised his eyebrows upon seeing Tony.

 

“I wanted to walk you out,” Tony explained. “It’s rude for a host not to walk out their guests.”

 

“Well, I must have been a terrible host then,” Steve said; he hadn’t walked any of his guests out when he had hosted the Avengers event.

 

“You? A terrible host?” Tony waved his hand. “Definitely not.”

 

Steve smiled softly. “Thanks for inviting me tonight, Tony. I had a good time.”

 

“See, with all of your frowning I thought that you were having a terrible time.” What? _Had_ Steve been frowning a lot? Steve must have seemed confused because Tony held up his hands. “It was a joke, Steve. I’m glad that you had a good time.”

 

Steve nodded and watched Tony, wondering if he was going to say anything else. When he didn’t, Steve pointed to the doors behind him.

 

“I should get going. Besides, I don’t want to keep you from your guests.”

 

“Ah, they’ll be fine for a few more minutes.” He took a step closer to him. “I actually came out here because I wanted to ask you to coffee.”

 

Steve blinked. “Coffee?”

 

“Or tea – whichever one you like.”

 

“It’s not that.”

 

“Then what is it? Do you not drink it anymore?”

 

Steve bit his lip. It wasn’t that, either. This just seemed…well, random. Looking over the last few months though, Tony had been acting a bit different than usual. Sometimes he wanted to spend time with Steve and then other times, Tony didn't seem interested at all in him. Steve never knew what side of Tony he was going to get. Apparently, today, Steve was getting the former version of him.

 

“No, I do. That sounds good. When would you like to get coffee?”

 

“How about tomorrow afternoon?”

 

The blonde quickly thought about the plans he had tomorrow; he couldn’t think of any. He had taken the day off from the site to work on his art.

 

“That works.”

 

“Great.” Tony beamed at him. “You can pick the place…just text me the details and I’ll be there.” He winked at Steve and turned around, padding back up the stairs to where the ballroom was.

 

Steve stood there, watching Tony disappear at the top of the stairs, unsure of what he had just gotten himself into. He could’ve said no, he supposed, but Tony seemed so excited about it, he hadn't wanted to turn him down. Besides, he may have been reading too much into Tony’s behavior. He and Tony were friends again, so maybe he just wanted to spend more time with him. Yeah, that was probably it. Steve nodded to himself and walked into the dark night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that you enjoyed this chapter!


	27. Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter!

The coffee shop was one that Steve had discovered a little after the Snap. It was about ten minutes away from his apartment and it was close to a small park. During the five years after the Snap, he had often sat at one of the tables they had set up in the park and drew while he drank his coffee. Other times he would get coffee or tea to go. He had visited the place so much that the people knew his order. 

 

He had originally wanted to sit outside, but it was raining today. Steve made his way inside and sat at a table that was placed in front of the windows that lined the front of the shop; he watched people pass while he waited for Tony. A bit later, when there was still no sign of Tony, Steve glanced at his watch. Fifteen minutes late. Steve muttered to himself about how he couldn't believe Tony was late. He took out his phone so he could text him, ask him where he was. Right when he was about to send the message, the bell attached to the front door chimed. His gaze lifted to the door; Tony walked in, sporting a leather jacket, a light blue shirt, and dark wash jeans. For a moment, Steve just looked at him, unable to pull his gaze away. He knew that it wasn’t nice to stare, but he couldn’t stop. Somehow, Steve seemed to snap out of his stupor.

 

“Tony!” he called, waving at the man.

 

Tony glanced over at him and walked over.

 

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, taking a seat. “Traffic was bad. I hope that you hadn’t been waiting for too long.”

 

Had he been waiting too long? No, he hadn’t. But he _had_ been waiting and normally Steve wouldn’t have minded, but today he did. This had been  _Tony’s_ idea yet he was late? He knew that Tony cared, but to be late for the event that _he_ had scheduled just seemed wrong to him.

 

“No, not at all,” Steve replied, voice tense.

 

Tony’s mouth turned downwards. “I’m sorry, Steve. I didn’t mean to be late.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Steve said, his tone softening. It really wasn’t that big of a deal, he supposed. Traffic could be unpredictable at times. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be harsh.”

 

“Long day?” Tony asked.

 

Steve shook his head. “No...I’m not sure where that came from. I’m sorry, Tony.”

 

Tony waved his hand. “Nothing to apologize for, Steve. Do you want me to get the coffee?”

 

“I can get it.”

 

Before Tony could respond, Steve went to the other side of the café to order the coffee. He got Tony’s favorite drink – a coffee with a shot of caramel along along with his own favorite drink: a cappuccino. While he waited for the coffees, he glanced at Tony every few moments. The man met his gaze a couple of times and smiled at him. Steve had seen that smile so many times before but he had never grown used to it. Perhaps it was because he hadn't gotten to see it that much after the Snap. Steve sometimes smiled back at him. When their drinks were ready, he carried them back over to the table.

 

“Here’s your drink,” Steve said, carefully placing it in front of Tony.

 

Tony looked at the drink before looking back at Steve. “You remembered it.”

 

“Of course, how could I forget?”

 

Steve sat down; his smile faded. Now It was obvious to him why he wasn’t able to forget little details like this about Tony. At first, he thought it was just him being a good friend, but now…he thought that maybe he remembered these things for a different reason. A deeper one. One that he had been too oblivious to see. It was still baffling that he hadn't realized his feelings for so long. They were so apparent to him now. He sighed deeply; well, there wasn't anything he could do about now. He gazed into his coffee, lost in his thoughts. A moment passed; he thought that he heard Tony say something, but the sound was muffled, background noise.

 

“Steve?” Tony asked.

 

His name on Tony’s lips brought Steve’s attention back to him.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Is everything okay?”

 

Tony’s warm brown eyes settled upon his face. His head tilted to the side. How could Steve say no to that?

 

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Just…got lost in my thoughts for a moment.”

 

He took a sip of his drink.

 

“I understand. It’s been happening a lot to me, too, lately.”

 

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed together. “What do you mean?”

 

Tony glanced at his drink; his index finger slid around the rim of it. “Ever since Thanos…the initial Snap, I guess, I’ve been getting lost in my thoughts a lot. Right after the Snap, I couldn’t stop thinking about how we lost. How we - I - let everyone down. Being stuck in space didn’t help the problem, either. There are only so much games of imaginary football that one can play, after all.”

 

Hearing Tony talk about this made Steve’s stomach churn. He knew that what happened in Wakanda wasn’t his fault, but he felt like it _was_. If he had just listened to Tony and tried to work with him more during the Accords, maybe the Avengers would have never split up; if they had never split up, perhaps they would’ve been able to stop Thanos the first time he came knocking on their door. After all, they were the Avengers, Earth’s mightiest heroes. How could they be mighty if they lost? Sure, they ultimately won, but they still _lost._ Steve shook the question out of his head and tried to focus back on Tony, who was still speaking.

 

“When I got back to Earth, it was easier to distract myself from the thoughts. You know, since there were more things to do here. Pepper helped, too. When I’d get too quiet, she’d talk to me or we’d go for a walk.” Tony shrugged. “I know it wasn’t much, but it helped. It didn’t make the thoughts go away completely, though. I still deal with it.”

 

Steve pursed his lips. He wanted to say that he was sorry, but that was such an overused statement. He said something else instead. 

 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

 

Tony shook his head. “No...that’s okay.”

 

“Well, if you change your mind, I’ll listen.”

 

“I know.” Tony brought his beverage to his lips, taking a long sip of it. He put it back down and regarded Steve with a soft expression, as if he couldn’t quite believe that Steve was sitting across from him. “You know, I never thought that we’d do something like this.”

 

“What, drink coffee?” Steve offered.

 

“No…reach this point – be friends again, talk again. After we fought, I never thought that we'd be doing something like this...I didn't even think we'd talk again." 

 

Steve didn’t hear anything past ‘friends’. The word echoed in his mind. It felt like someone had just hit him with a car. The smile that was playing at his lips vanished, replaced by a frown. Friends. That’s all they were, all they would ever be. Steve thought that he would be able to handle it, but if being friends with Tony meant hanging out at least once a week, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to do it. He knew that Tony and him were friends, but hearing it from him was another thing. Besides...he didn't know if he could be the best possible friend to Tony if they continued to do activities together often. And he _wanted_ to be a great friend to Tony. He didn't want to let him down again. He pushed his mug away from him and took out his wallet.

 

“I have to go,” Steve mumbled.

 

Tony glanced at him, startled.

 

“What? Why?”

 

“I just have to go.” Steve took out a few dollars and placed them on the table. He went to stand up, but Tony grabbed his arm.

 

“Steve…what is it? Did I say something wrong?”

 

Tony looked at him through his lashes; a frown marked his face. Steve wanted to leave, but he found himself sitting back down in his chair instead. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at Tony, who was looking at him with a confused expression.

 

“Sorry,” Steve mumbled.

 

“What just happened?”

 

The answer to that question was easy, but explaining it to the man in front of him wasn’t something that he wanted to do. It would go into territory that he’d much rather avoid. He could lie to him, of course, but that would be an insult to Tony and no lie would really explain why he suddenly wanted to leave. He brought his drink to his lips, taking a small sip, before placing it back on the table. His gaze shifted to Tony; he inhaled and exhaled slowly, hoping that the cleansing breath would calm his racing heart. It didn’t work. Oh, no. His heart was still beating quickly, hoping to escape his ribs. He took another breath and gradually released it. Still, his heart hammered in his ribs. He swallowed thickly.

 

“You asked me a few weeks ago if I was seeing anyone and I told you no.”

 

“I remember…,” Tony said; his voice wavered a bit, as if he was unsure of where Steve was going with this. 

 

“Then you asked me if I had feelings for anyone. At the time, I told you that I didn’t, which I thought was true. Well…it wasn’t.”

 

Tony sat back in his chair, a confused expression on his face, as if trying to figure out how Steve having feelings for someone impacted him in any way. For a moment, Steve thought that maybe Tony wouldn't figure it out. That maybe, just maybe, Tony would ask him who he'd have feelings for. Of course, that hope was silly to have. Tony shook his head. 

 

“No, no. You – you can’t.” His voice was soft, almost inaudible.

 

“I know that I can’t,” Steve murmured. He winced; he never wanted to talk about this with him. He had just wanted to get over his feelings without telling him. That way he could’ve spared Tony from looking like he just got hit with a curveball that he had no idea was coming. "I didn't want to feel this way." 

 

“How did this even happen?” 

 

Well, that was a very good question. The answer to which Steve was still trying to figure out himself. He didn't know how it happened, exactly. All he knew was that it did.

 

“It doesn’t really matter, does it?” Steve’s voice was barely audible. 

 

Tony pressed his lips together; he shook his head. “I suppose it doesn’t. You know that I can’t-”

 

“I know,” Steve said, cutting him off. He didn’t need to hear him say the words. “I don’t expect you to.”

 

The brunette nodded but didn’t say anything. Steve knew that he probably didn’t need to say anything more, but he couldn’t stop himself from rambling on.

 

“I’m sorry, Tony…I never meant for this to happen. Never meant to feel this way. I just wanted to deal with it on my own..." There was more that he wanted to say, but the words died on his tongue.

 

“I know,” Tony replied, gaze on the table.

 

Silence fell over them. Steve didn’t know how long they sat there, not saying a word, each of them lost in their own thoughts. He knew that he should say something more, but he didn’t exactly know what else to say. He had basically said everything that he could say. The quiet stretched out for longer, hovering over the table like a cloud that refused to move. Steve tried to break the silence, but every time he opened his mouth, nothing came out. 

 

“So-what now?” Tony asked; his gaze flicked to him.

 

The answer was probably obvious to the both of them, but Steve knew that it was best to talk about it, even if he didn’t want to.

 

“I think I – we- need some space. Until I get this under control. If this continues,” He gestured to Tony and himself. “…I don’t think this will get any better.”

 

Tony pursed his lips. “I understand.”

 

Steve nodded and stood up. He threw down some extra bills to pay for Tony’s drink.

 

“I hope to see you around, Tony.”

 

He forced himself to walk away from the table and out of the coffee shop. He walked passed the window that he knew Tony was sitting at, but he didn't look at him. If he did, he was sure that the tears that were stinging his eyes would break free. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support.
> 
> Feel free to leave kudos or a comment!


	28. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony went their separate ways - what will happen now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter...I apologize about that. I promise that some of the next chapters will definitely be longer.

Not being able to text Tony was probably the hardest thing for Steve to get used to. Tony and him had gone through lulls without texting each other before, but that was different. One time was because they had a falling out and the other time was because Tony had just not texted that much. The fact that they could text each other but chose not to was the hardest thing for him. Steve kept wanting to ask Tony how he was doing or show him a new art piece that he had made but he knew that he couldn’t. If he did, he knew that he’d want to see him again. And if he saw him again, he’d be right back to where he started.

 

The first two weeks were the hardest. He’d do something like cook a new meal or draw something and the next thing he knew, he was opening his and Tony's text conversation, wanting to tell him about it. Sometimes he would write out a message to Tony, but he’d delete it before he could send it. During those first two weeks, Steve actually turned his phone off a few times so he wasn’t as tempted to contact Tony. He would've turned his phone off more, but Natasha had contacted him and told him that she had been worried about him because he hadn't been answering his phone. After that, he made sure that his phone was on at all times. He decided that he'd just try to pretend that his phone was off so he wouldn’t call or text Tony. Eventually, it became easier to not talk to Tony. He was be able to use his phone and not feel the pull to text him. Of course, he still wanted to, but he could ignore that desire.

 

Steve also made sure to keep busy. He went to the gym, art class, and the construction site. When he visited the site, he made sure that he was there on days Tony wouldn’t be. He was afraid that if he saw him, all of this would be for nothing. That he'd see Tony and want to talk to him, be with him. During one of his visits to the site, Happy informed him that the new facility was almost ready. He said that the outside was complete and soon they would be working on finishing the interiors of the buildings. Apparently the interiors would still take a few months to finish, but at least the new buildings were actually up. On the weekends, Steve tried to do things with Natasha or Bucky if they weren’t busy with something else. Other times he would hang out with Sam when he was in the area. When all of them were busy, he would hang out with friends that he had met at art school. He actually started to have somewhat of a social life.

 

Slowly but surely, Steve found himself not thinking about Tony as much. He still missed him, but he could manage to make himself think about something else if his thoughts turned to him. Sometimes he thought about texting him since he was feeling better, but he could never bring himself to because he was worried that if he saw him, all of those old feelings would come back. So, he kept his distance and tried to keep himself busy. He figured that when he was ready to see Tony, he wouldn’t be worried about his old feelings coming back.

 

When it was two months since he had left Tony in the coffee shop, Steve thought that maybe he'd contact Tony because he felt ready. He took out his phone and typed out a message. He stared at it for a few moments before sighing and deleting the message. No, he wasn't ready to see him again. If he saw him, he knew that he'd just want to be with him again. He thought that he was probably being paranoid, but he also didn’t want to meet up with Tony just to have to tell him that he couldn’t be around him again. It was best just to stay away. Not that he wanted to. He wanted to see Tony again and talk to him again. Ask him how he was. He just be _around_ him again. That wasn’t an option, though. The only thing he could do was to continue with his plan – which was to stay away from him- until Tony contacted him, which he doubted that he would.

 

The plan didn’t exactly make Steve happy, but it was the best plan that he had. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your continued support!


	29. Present

The months went by slowly. With every month that passed, he thought that Tony would contact him, but he never did. Steve was beginning to think that Tony would never reach out to him. Steve had thought about contacting him, but the scene he made at the coffee shop still made him embarrassed. That conversation should have never happened. He had been a fool to bring it up. Or maybe he had been a fool for thinking that he could remain friends with Tony while he was in love with him. None of that mattered though. He couldn't take back what happened. All he could do was hope that Tony would come around. 

 

The blonde was just coming home from an art gallery exhibit when his phone chimed. He slipped it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen.

 

_We need to talk._

 

Steve’s gaze flicked to the top of the screen; he froze when he saw who was texting him. _Tony._ He read the text again and frowned; what on earth did they need to talk about? He thought everything had been pretty clear when they had that conversation six months ago at the coffee shop. He bit his lip and texted the brunette back. 

 

_Okay…what’s wrong?_  

 

He opened the door to his apartment and closed it behind him. A few seconds later, his phone chimed again.

 

_Can we talk in person?_

 

Steve frowned and quickly typed a response back.

 

_Tony – is everything okay?_

 

_Yes. Can we talk?_

 

Well, that didn’t reassure him in any way. If everything was okay, talking wouldn’t be necessary. But...maybe he wanted to talk about what happened between them. There was no other reason for him to contact him. He licked his lips and typed out another message. 

 

_Sure. Do you want to call or meet up somewhere?_

_Can I swing by your place?_

 

Steve stared at him phone. He wasn’t against that idea, but he didn’t know if it would be the smartest thing to do. But then again, Tony was specifically asking him to come here. Maybe he didn’t feel safe to talk about whatever he wanted to talk about in public.

 

_Yeah, you can. Come by whenever._

 

_Thanks. See you soon._

 

The blonde looked at his phone and then glanced around his apartment. It wasn’t messy, but it wasn’t as neat as he would like it.

 

“Damnit,” Steve muttered. He tossed his phone onto the couch and moved about his apartment, putting things back into place.

 

About ten minutes later, there was a knock on his door. He put down the towel he was using to clean the kitchen counter and padded over to the door. He opened it;  Tony stood on the other side of the threshold. He was wearing faded jeans and an ACDC t-shirt under a leather jacket. Dark circles rimmed the bottoms of his eyes. His hair stuck up in various directions. Steve frowned at him.

 

“Tony, what's wrong?”

 

“Are you going to invite me in?”

 

Steve looked at him for a moment longer before moving to the side, allowing Tony to enter. He closed the door behind him and followed Tony who was already almost to the living room. Tony shrugged off his leather jacket and tossed it onto the couch. Steve frowned at his back.

 

“Tony, what is it?”

 

“Pepper and I got a divorce,” Tony said; the words were barely audible. 

 

Steve almost wanted to tell Tony to say that again, because he was certain that he hadn’t heard him right. Pepper and him couldn’t have gotten a divorce. All of this was to _prevent_ that from happening. Based on Tony’s frown and downcast gaze though, he knew that he had heard Tony correctly.

 

“What?” Steve asked, failing to find any other words.

 

“Yes.” Tony took a seat on the couch and sighed. “It happened about four weeks ago.”

 

Steve opened his mouth but then closed it. He pursed his lips and sat down next to the brunette, leaving a few feet between them.

 

“I’m sorry, Tony.”

 

“Yeah, well. It can't be too surprising, can it?” 

  
The blonde furrowed his eyebrows. What did he mean by that? Of course it was surprising. Steve didn't think that they would ever get divorced. But, here Tony was, insinuating that Steve somehow knew that this would happen. 

   
“You’re not…blaming it on me, are you?”

 

“Well, it’s not like you didn’t have any impact on it.” 

 

Steve’s lips parted; he stared at him. No, he couldn’t be serious; he couldn’t actually be _blaming_ him for this. Sure, he had told him about how he felt, but he left so Tony could continue on with his life. So that he could stay with Pepper and Morgan. 

 

“Tony…I didn’t tell you that because I wanted this to happen. This was the last thing that I wanted to happen." 

 

“Really? Then why did you tell me? Hm? What were you hoping was going to happen?” His tone was harsh, grating. 

 

No, this couldn’t be happening again. Steve shook his head and stared at his lap. No - no. It couldn't be. He had done everything _right_. He had removed himself from the situation. He had put Tony and his family before himself. There was _no way_ he could be blamed for this. But…maybe Tony was right. He could’ve just said nothing; he could’ve made an excuse, told him that he had an emergency or something. He hadn’t needed to be honest with him. Yet, he had been. He had thought that had been honoring his promise to Tony, but maybe…he had been secretly hoping that something like this would happen. But that didn’t mean that he actually _wanted_ this to happen. All he had wanted was Tony to be happy.

 

“I was trying to be honest with you,” Steve murmured; tears stung his eyes. 

 

“Did you ever think about not being honest?”

 

“Of course I did. But I thought that you deserved better.”

 

Tony stared at him for a long moment, his gaze searching Steve’s face. The tears that Steve had been blinking back rolled down his cheeks. He brushed them off of his face with the back of his hand.

 

“Tony…you know that I didn’t want this to happen. If I had, I wouldn’t have left that day.”

 

“I know,” Tony replied. He sighed and leaned back in the couch. His shoulders seem to slump forward. “It’s…just easier to be mad at you than myself.” Tony’s gaze flicked to the blonde. “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that. I'm not sure what came over me." 

 

“It’s fine – do you want to talk about it?” It wasn't, but how he was feeling at the moment wasn't important. 

 

“No, it isn’t fine.”

 

Steve bit his lip. “No, it’s not. But I forgive you.” Even though he didn’t think that there was much to forgive - Tony was obviously upset.

 

“Glad to hear it.” He smirked at Steve, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

 

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

 

Tony pursed his lips and stared at his lap. "Not really..but I probably should."  

 

"Only talk about it if you want to." The last thing he wanted was Tony to feel pressured to talk about this. He knew that talking about something before you were ready could cause more pain than healing. 

 

"I do."

 

Steve nodded and gestured for him to continue.

 

“Well…I can’t say I was surprised when Pepper said that she wanted a divorce. We had been having problems for a while, even if I kept trying to salvage the situation.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d say we started to have them after I invited you to pizza that day. Pepper had actually planned dinner for us all, but I forgot. Obviously I didn’t mean to forget, but I did. She told me that I was more focused on seeing you than spending time with her and Morgan.”

 

“I told her that wasn’t true, but now in hindsight…I guess it was true.” Tony bit his lip and glanced at Steve. “Anyways, things got worse when I invited you to the Stark Industries event. She didn’t mind you being invited, but she thought that I shouldn’t have had you sit next to me. She thought that you should’ve sat at another table. That's what we were arguing about that day. She kept telling me that I was focusing more on you than her. Again, I told her that I wasn’t. But after that day at the coffee shop, I guess I became miserable to be around. I didn’t think that I had been until Morgan asked me if something was wrong. She asked me that because apparently I had seemed sad. I tried to act happier around her because I didn’t want her to worry about me, but that didn’t stop the arguments between Pepper and me- we started to fight almost every day. We tried marriage counseling, but that didn’t work. Obviously.” He gestured to his ring finger that didn’t have a ring on it anymore. “About two weeks after our last counseling session, Pepper said that she wanted a divorce; she said that my heart clearly wasn’t in our relationship anymore and that she didn’t think it ever would be again. I guess I loved her, but I wasn’t _in_ love with her anymore.”

 

Steve frowned at him; there was so much to try to sort through. Apparently Tony had been more focused on him than Pepper. Leaving him that day at the coffee shop made him feel worse rather than better. He and Pepper tried marriage counseling but it didn't work because Tony wasn't in love with her anymore. All of these things were important, but all he could focus on was how if he had never said anything, maybe Tony would've put more effort into his relationship. Maybe Tony would still be with Pepper.   

 

“So…what you said earlier is true – I caused all of this.”

 

Tony shook his head and pivoted towards the blonde so he was facing him. He shuffled closer to him, placing his hands on his shoulders. His gaze settled on Steve’s.

 

“Steve, you didn’t cause this. _I_ caused this.”

 

“But -”

 

Steve wasn't able to finish his statement because all he could focus on was Tony’s warm, soft lips pressing against his own. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So they finally kissed!!!!
> 
> Thank you for your continued support. 
> 
> I apologize for any typos or grammatical errors.


	30. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So...Steve and Tony finally kissed. What will happen now?

The feeling of Tony’s lips on his own made the harsh lines of Steve’s face soften. He shifted forward, closing the distance between him and Tony so their chests were touching. Tony’s mouth twitched against his own; his hand cupped Steve’s cheek, his gently caressed Steve’s cheekbone. Steve let out a small sound of approval. His hand slid around the back of Tony’s neck and so his fingers threaded through Tony’s hair.

 

“Yes,” Tony breathed against his mouth.

 

Tony pressed his lips against Steve’s again. A shiver ran down Steve's spine. Time seemed to evaporate as they continued to kiss, each of them lost in the moment, lost in the feeling of the other.  Eventually, Steve pulled away, his face flushed. He cleared his throat and looked at Tony. Even though they were sitting a little farther away from each other now, their knees were still brushing against each other.

 

“You never let me finish speaking,” Steve murmured. 

 

Tony bit his lip. “Sorry…was that okay?” he asked.

 

“Y-yes, it was more than okay, Tony.”

  
Tony grinned at him. “Good, I’m glad.”

  
Steve couldn't return the smile. He wanted to, but he couldn't. This wasn't the way it was supposed to go. He wanted to kick himself for feeling this way. All he wanted was to kiss Tony again, to forget the way he was feeling. But, he couldn't do that. Not when the beginning of their conversation kept replaying in his mind. Not after Tony took out how he was feeling on him. He wasn't mad at Tony - he forgave him for what he did, but he couldn't start a relationship knowing that Tony wasn't completely ready for this. He bit his lip and glanced at Tony. 

 

“Tony…,” Steve began, voice wavering slightly. “I don’t think we can do that again.”

 

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why not?”

 

“The kiss was good, but...I don't think it can mean anything." He winced at how that sounded. "I mean, I don't think that it can mean anything at the moment. I know that you and Pepper are over…but you don’t seem to be over the divorce yet."

 

“Did I not make it clear that part of the reason why we got divorce was because I’m into you?” 

 

Steve winced. He glanced down at his lap; he couldn't look at Tony - he couldn't bear to see the hurt on his face. 

 

“That was clear. It’s just - Tony, even if you’re not in love with her anymore, you’re still not over the divorce. You’re blaming yourself for it. That's why you blamed me earlier. I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to start anything – which is what I assume you want to do – while you’re still blaming yourself for what happened.”

 

Tony groaned and leaned against the back of the couch. He pressed his palms to his eyes. 

 

“Why do you have to be so pragmatic?”

 

Steve looked at him; a hint of a smile played at his lips. “I’m Captain America, it kind of comes with the gig.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Tony dropped his hands from his eyes and looked at him. “I just didn’t want to hear something like that.”

 

“I know.” Steve reached for Tony’s hand, which was resting on his lap. “I’m not saying that I’m against this - us - from happening. I’m just saying...if we’re going to do this, I want to do this right. I want to do it when we’re both ready for it.” He gently squeezed Tony’s hand. Steve obviously was ready for it, but he didn’t want Tony to feel rushed to heal. He wanted him to take his time, to come back when he was ready. 

 

“I suppose that’s fair.” Tony’s gaze flicked to him. “Can we at least talk – like friends- in the meantime?”

 

Steve laughed softly. “I’d be hurt if we didn’t.”

 

Tony stayed a little bit after that conversation. Tony asked Steve how he was doing and what he has been up to the past months besides going to the site. Steve asked Tony how Stark Industries was going and if he had created any new inventions. The conversation flowed smoothly, as if they hadn’t just spent six months without talking to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your continued support!
> 
> Feel free to leave kudos or a comment.


	31. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Tony come back to Steve?

Time seemed to slow down drastically after Tony left that night. It was as if the world just decided to want to turn on its axis slower now that things were possibly looking up for Steve and Tony. Steve knew that wasn't really happening, but that’s what it felt like. It didn’t help that he barely heard from Tony, either. Tony texted him a few times each week, but not as much as Steve had hoped. He supposed it was best for Tony though not to contact him that much while he was sorting out his feelings.

 

To keep busy, Steve stuck with his daily routine: work out, draw, and go to the facility. These activities weren't the most exciting things to do, but they distracted him from anxiously waiting for Tony to contact him. He also tried to meet with Bucky and Natasha when he could. Since they had officially settled into their apartment, they had more free time. During one of the times that he visited them, he asked them if they wanted to rejoin the Avengers. They said that they wouldn’t mind officially retiring, but they weren’t sure yet. Steve wasn’t sure what he wanted to do about the Avengers yet - if he wanted to rejoin them or not. On one hand, he missed going on missions, but on the other, he had been enjoying the last couple of months. He enjoyed focusing on the things that he wanted to focus on, like art. Also, if not being on the Avengers would make having a relationship easier - whether that be with Tony or someone else.  

 

Steve knew that he was probably allowed to go on dates since Tony and him weren’t together, but he couldn’t bring himself to go on any. Not when he knew that it was only a matter of time before Tony hopefully contacted him. So, Steve waited. And waited. And waited. By the third week without hearing from Tony about their potential relationship, Steve started to worry that Tony actually didn’t want a relationship with him. That the kiss was something that seemed like a good idea in the moment, but Tony hadn't actually liked it. Steve knew that he could ask him about if he had made a decision, but Steve didn’t want to rush Tony – he knew that it may take him a while for him to come around. Instead of asking him about that, Steve asked him about other things – books that he was reading, about the Avengers, and what he had been doing. Anything that he could think of, really.

 

An answer to the question that had been on his mind for weeks came one month after their talk. His text was the same as it had been that night– if Steve and him could talk. Steve, of course, said yes.

 

They ended up agreeing to meet at Steve’s apartment again. It seemed like the option that would provide them with the most privacy. Although the Avengers were on a “break”, paparazzi and journalists still liked to follow them around at times to get the “dirt” on what was happening. No matter what was agreed upon during their meeting, neither of them wanted the paparazzi to know what was happening between them. 

 

Since Tony wanted to meet at night as opposed to the middle of the day, Steve assumed that he had good news to share. Of course, he didn’t know for certain, but Steve didn’t know why Tony would want to meet at night if he only had bad news to share. Steve was just putting the finishing touches on their dinner when there was a knock on the door. Steve smiled softly to himself and wiped his hands on a kitchen towel. He padded over to the door, his heart thundering in his chest. Steve opened the door; his eyes widened upon seeing the man who was standing on the other side of it.

 

Tony was wearing black pants with a fitted green t-shirt and a leather jacket. His hair was sticking up a little in the front in typical Tony Stark fashion. Unlike last time though, the dark circles under his eyes were gone. A smile played at Tony’s lips.

 

“Going to keep on staring or are you going to invite me in?”

 

Steve blushed and stepped to the side. “Sorry, of course, come in.”

 

“It’s fine,” Tony said, making his way inside. Steve shut the door before rushing to catch up to Tony.

 

“I made dinner,” Steve noted as they walked into the kitchen. He gestured to the counter which was lined with cheeseburgers. Condiments – such as mustard and ketchup-  were placed in the corner of the counter, next to the line of cheeseburgers.

 

Tony’s gaze flicked to him. “Cheeseburgers?”

 

A blush painted Steve’s cheeks. “Yes, I thought…well, I know that they’re your favorite.”

 

“You didn’t have to do that.”

 

Steve’s blushed deepened. “I wanted to.” Steve knew that this wasn’t a date or anything, but he had wanted to do something nice for Tony, especially after all the trouble that he had put him through. Tony seemed speechless for a moment; he opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

 

“Well…help yourself,” Steve said, gesturing to the island. 

 

Tony nodded and helped himself to a cheeseburger. Once he dressed it the way he wanted – with ketchup and tomatoes, he took a seat at the table. Steve plated a cheeseburger for himself before meeting Tony at the table. He sat down and smiled softly at the other man. He gestured to Tony’s untouched burger. "Feel free to eat."

 

He wanted to engage in a certain conversation, but he knew that he couldn’t rush Tony into it. Besides, he didn’t even know what Tony would say; he was just assuming that he wanted to say something positive. If it was bad…maybe it was best for him not to know quite yet. The pair ate in silence, each of them enjoying their meal. Sometimes Steve felt Tony’s gaze on him and he blushed softly, not used to the scrutiny.

 

“Why do you do that?” Tony asked eventually, once he had eaten most of his burger.

 

Steve frowned. “Do what?”

 

“Blush when I look at you.”

 

“I do _not_ blush every time you look at me,” Steve countered.

 

“Okay. Maybe not _every_ time, but you’ve been doing it since I’ve been here.”

 

Steve’s face grew warm. “I guess I’m just not used to someone looking at me at like that.”

 

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

 

 _Like you want to kiss me?_ Steve thought. But he didn’t voice that thought out loud. “I don’t know; I guess I’m just not used to getting this sort of attention.” _From you._

 

“Ah…well, sorry. I’ll try to stop.”

 

Steve shook his head. “No, it’s fine. As I said, I’m just not used to it.”

 

Tony nodded and the conversation faded away, each of them refocusing on eating their meal. The silence didn't feel awkward despite the elephant in the room. Steve supposed that he was just happy that Tony was here. A couple of minutes later, though, when Tony still hadn't said anything, Steve's leg started to bounce. Why hadn't he said anything? Steve pursed his lips. Maybe he was waiting for him to say something. Well, he'd give him until he finished his burger. If he hadn't said anything by then, he'd bring it up. Steve went back to eating; a bit later, Steve finished off his burger and pushed his plate away. He glanced at Tony, who was taking a sip of water. The brunette canted his head to the side. 

 

“What is it?”

 

“Well…do you want to talk about it?” he asked gently. 

 

“Talk about what?” Tony asked.

 

The corners of Steve’s mouth turned downwards. Had he misread this entire situation? Maybe Tony hadn’t come here because he wanted to talk about that. He may have just come here because he wanted to talk to Steve.

 

Tony let out a soft laugh. “I’m joking, Steve. I guess I was just waiting for a good moment to bring it up.”  Steve exhaled softly; his shoulders relaxed a bit. “Obviously I’m here because I...well, I’m feeling better than I did then.”

 

Steve nodded. “I’m glad you do.”

 

“I know that my behavior has been odd ever since the battle. And I know that I already apologized for my behavior from that night…but I don’t think that’s good enough.”

 

“You don’t need to apologize again, Tony.”

 

“I wasn’t going to. But…” He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. “I think you deserve a proper explanation for it - my behavior over the last few months, I mean. I never really gave you one.”

 

“That’s not necessary," Steve said gently. While an explanation would be nice, but Steve didn’t need one. He had accepted his apology from that night and he didn't think about his behavior from behavior that, or hold it against him.

 

“Steve, please, just…hear me out." 

 

Tony looked at him with those warm chocolate eyes; his mouth was turned downwards. Steve bit his lip - this was clearly important to him. 

 

“Of course – go ahead.”

 

“After the Battle,” Tony began, his gaze focused on the table. “…I was healing, yes, but I thought that I could fall back into my normal life. Go back to Pepper and Morgan. I thought that things would go back to the way they were prior to the Battle. I also knew that our friendship was in a better place, but I wasn’t sure how it would fit in with everything I had going on at home.” Tony winced. “I know that sounds awful.”

 

His lips pulled downwards. His stomach churned. Well, that just confirmed what he had already thought. But, there wasn't any point in talking about that. It was in the past and Steve had already moved past it, even if he was still a bit upset by it. His gaze flicked up to Tony. 

 

“Continue,” Steve said softly, knowing that Tony probably had more to say.

 

“But then…I realized that I missed you,” Tony said softly. “I missed talking to you, asking your opinions about things, just being around you. So I decided to contact you. When we started to talk again…I realized just how much I missed you.” He smirked and shook his head. “You’re a hard man to not want to have around, Rogers.”

 

The last sentence made Steve smirk. “I thought you found me annoying.”

 

Tony laughed. “I can find you annoying and _still_ want to be around you.”

 

“If you insist,” he teased.

 

“Anyways…after you drew that portrait of me, I knew that I wanted to be around you more, so I tried to come up with ways we could see each other.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I think, at the time, I didn’t realize that I liked you more than just a friend.”

 

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed. “But you were with Pepper.”

 

“I know, but as I said, I didn’t know that I was into you until a bit after the divorce. I just thought that I wasn’t in love with Pepper anymore. That’s why I mentioned marriage counseling to Pepper. I thought that doing that would help salvage our relationship. Obviously that didn't work out.” Tony took a sip of water and sighed. “Pepper had every right to divorce me…my heart wasn’t in it. I loved Pepper, but my heart wasn't completely in our relationship, like it should have been. That’s partly why I was so upset when I came to your apartment that night. I was angry at myself for letting Pepper down. I was angry at myself for having feelings for you. I was angry at you for telling me that you had feelings for me.”

 

“I’m sorry, Tony, I never should have told you -”

 

Tony shook his head. “There’s no need to apologize. I know you told me because you thought it was the right thing to do. You were trying to protect me.”

 

“This was honestly the last thing I wanted,” Steve said softly. As much as he hoped this would happen, he hadn't wanted Tony to experience the pain that he endured. 

 

“I know. As I said though, I’m not upset that you told me. I was just upset that night because I felt guilty for having feelings for you - it was a month after the divorce, and I was already to move on.” 

 

Steve nodded and bit his lip. “How about now?”

 

“Now?” Tony repeated.

 

“Yes…how do you feel now?” Steve asked. His palms began to sweat. His heart beat echoed in his ears. 

 

“Well…I’m not feeling guilty anymore.”

 

Steve smiled; he was glad that Tony had managed to heal over the last few weeks. He didn’t like the idea of Tony ruminating and scolding himself over something that he couldn’t control even after he put all his effort into saving it.

 

“Anything else?” Steve asked, his voice wavering a bit. He looked away from Tony, unable to hold his gaze. His mouth ran dry; his heart beat loudly in his ears.

 

“I’d like to…give it a try.”

 

The blonde glanced at him. “Give what a try?”

 

“Us.”

 

An answer should’ve come from Steve immediately. After all, that's exactly what he wanted to hear. Instead, he simply stared at Tony, convinced that just imagined him saying that. Tony Stark couldn’t possibly want to be with him. He was just a kid from Brooklyn. Somebody who just got lucky. But, that's what Tony had said - he actually wanted to have a  _romantic relationship_ with him. The corners of his mouth twitched.

 

“Y-yes,” Steve managed to say a few seconds later. “I’d like to give us a try, too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your continued support! I really appreciate it.
> 
> Feel free to leave kudos or a comment.


	32. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony go on their first official date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe that this story is almost over. 
> 
> I hope that you enjoy this chapter!

They decided who would pick out their first date by flipping a coin. It landed on heads, which meant that Steve would be able to pick where they went. At first, Steve had a lot of different ideas of a date; they could go out to a movie, go out to dinner, or get coffee together. None of those ideas seemed very exciting, though. In fact, they seemed a bit boring for their first date. Perhaps “boring” wasn’t the right word; they just weren’t unique. He wanted this first date to be one that Tony would remember for the rest of his life.

 

Three days after they agreed to take a chance on each other, an idea for a date came to Steve. A while back, he visited an art gallery. He liked it so much that he went back to it. During that visit to the art gallery, the owner had asked him if he just liked looking at art or if he was interested in creating some of his own. Steve had told her that he enjoyed drawing and was taking an art class. She expressed interest in seeing Steve’s art, so he came back later that day with some of his art pieces; he was nervous about showing her, but he didn't know if he'd have that opportunity again. Luckily, she liked the art. A lot. She liked it so much that she offered to display his artwork at the gallery for a few weeks. Steve said no at the time – the idea of a lot of people viewing his art still made him nervous. Now though, after being chosen to pick out his and Tony's first date...well, perhaps he’d just have to change his mind. Steve took out his phone and dialed the owner’s number, hoping that her offer was still standing.

 

 

 

 

“Where are we going?” Tony asked. “Not that I don’t like being driven to a random location while being blindfolded. I’d just like to know.”

 

Steve laughed a little. “Think about it as pay back for when you dragged me out of my room to go to the museum.”

 

Tony pivoted towards Steve and pointed at him.

 

“Hey, that was different. You were able to see your surroundings. I, on the other hand, cannot see.”

 

Steve smirked; he knew that he shouldn’t be enjoying this, but he did. He liked the idea of Tony not having any idea of where they were going for once.  It made up for all the times that Tony randomly surprised him. Luckily those were all good surprises, but still. He liked returning the favor.

 

“We’re almost there,” Steve replied.

 

“And where’s _there_ exactly?”

 

They turned down a smaller street that was lined by trees. In the middle of the street, a building with large windows loomed. A red carpet led to the front door. On both sides of the doors, people with cameras stood. Steve sighed when he saw them. He had hoped that there wouldn’t be any paparazzi here. He glanced at Tony, who was still facing Steve; he raised an eyebrow at him, as if waiting for him to answer his question. 

 

“You’ll see in about two seconds.”

 

“One…two. It’s been two seconds.”

 

Steve rolled his eyes. “I didn’t mean exactly two seconds, Tony.”

 

“Then why say it?” Tony asked.

 

“It was just a figure of speech,” Steve replied, still amused. "Anyways, we're almost there." 

 

The car slowed when it reached the red carpet. Steve bit his lip and moved over to Tony, who was now looking out the window. 

 

“We’re here.” He carefully untied the blue bandana, revealing Tony’s warm brown eyes. Steve swore that he could stare at them for ages. Although Tony had been through so much, they were still warm – kind.

 

Tony blinked and glanced through the window. “An art gallery?” He looked at Steve.

 

Steve blushed. “Yes.”

 

“Why the cameras?”

 

“They’re not supposed to be here,” Steve murmured. “They shouldn’t bother us once we go inside though.” That's what he hoped, at least. 

 

Tony waved a hand. “I don’t mind.” He winked at Steve before opening the door and stepping out of the car. Steve got out behind Tony and quickly fell into step with Tony. He was  _so_ close to him. He felt his finger accidentally brush against Tony's hand. Blushing, he glanced down at the brunette's hand, which was still between them. His hand twitched; he wanted to hold his hand, but he didn’t know if they wanted to make their relationship – or whatever this was – public yet. The papers would probably say that they were together because they went to this event together. Those would just be rumors though, unless they commented on the status of their relationship. He definitely wasn't ready to comment on their relationship. As they passed, various people in the crowd shouted at them. 

 

“Tony, is this an indication that you are moving on?” one person yelled.

 

“Is the fact that you and Tony are here a confirmation that you guys are together?” another person asked while Steve walked past him.

 

“What happened with your divorce with Pepper?” Another man asked; Steve glared at him. Did they not respect anyone's privacy? That was between Tony and Pepper; they had no right to know what happened between them. The man ducked his head. “Sorry, Cap,” he muttered.

 

Steve smirked; he was glad that his “Captain America” gaze still had some weight behind it even months after he was last donned the suit. He moved towards Tony, who was still the target of many questions. The crowd seemed to quiet when Steve stood closer to him. Probably because they didn’t want to be on the other side of his stare. They reached the doors of the gallery; the two guards who stood on either side of the entrance opened them for Steve and Tony. The brunette walked in, but stopped when he realized that Steve wasn’t following him.

 

“Steve?” Tony asked.

 

“I’ll be right there,” Steve replied. He turned back to the crowd. He didn't know if this would work, but he had to try. Besides, this is what the owner and him agreed to. No paparazzi inside. “The art gallery will not allow you to be inside since photography is not allowed. Now, you got your pictures. Please respect Tony’s privacy and my own, as well as those who want to visit the exhibit tonight. They do not want to be bombarded by flashes of a camera. If you try to get in, remember that there are security guards here.” He gestured to the security guards. “And if you somehow get past them, there are two Avengers inside.” He smirked at them. “I wish you all a good night.”

 

With that, he went inside, eager to spend the evening with Tony. He found Tony waiting next to the doors, a smirk upon his face.

 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of your Captain America voice.”

 

Steve canted his head to the side. “Captain America voice?”

 

“You know what I mean.”

 

“It’s not like I get to use it that often now.”

 

Tony rolled his eyes. “You try to use it every chance you get.”

 

“I do _not._ ”

 

“Yes, you do. You used that voice when the Avengers were fighting over which movie to go see at the movie theater”

 

“They weren’t listening to me! I had no choice,” Steve said with a huff.

 

“Mhm, sure,” Tony replied. “You just like using it.”

 

“I haven’t used it lately,” Steve muttered.

 

He walked a bit further into the room, leading Tony to the center of it. The walls were white, marked only by paintings or other art pieces. Some people stood in front of the paintings, but thankfully, the gallery wasn’t too full yet.

 

“So…mind telling me why we’re at an art gallery?” Tony asked, glancing around the room. “Not that I’m against people expressing themselves through lines and color.”

 

“You know, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” Steve said, smiling softly at him. “Actually…there’s something I want to show you.”

 

The blonde gestured him to follow him. They moved towards a wall that was a few feet wide in the center of the room that had paintings on it. While Steve liked those paintings, those were not the ones that he wanted to show Tony. He led Tony around that wall, towards the back wall. The back wall had a large blue curtain hanging over it. 

 

“Well, that curtain is lovely, but I don’t know if I’d define that as artistic talent.”

 

Steve shook his head. “That’s not what I want to show you.”

 

He brushed passed a few people that were standing in front of the curtain, waiting for the big reveal. Steve’s breathing started to pick up; his palms began to sweat. Maybe this was a bad idea of a first date. A movie would have been a lot less nerve-wracking. He glanced at Tony, whose gaze was still on the curtain. Steve's mouth twitched as he watched him. This man had come here because he trusted Steve; he had accompanied him without knowing anything about tonight. If Tony could do that…well, he could do this. He leaned over so he could speak into Tony’s ear without others overhearing.

 

“Wait here,” Steve whispered.

 

Before Tony could respond, Steve walked over to the rope that was hanging on the right side of the curtain. He stood to the side of it, his body pivoted towards the crowd. He cleared his throat. The conversations among the crowd dissipated. Tony stood in front of them, his gaze right on Steve. His head was cocked to the side, as if asking:  _What are you up to?_

 

“Good evening,” Steve began, “My name is Steve Rogers; some of you may know me as Captain America.” A few people in the crowd laughed. “Over the last few months, I have been trying to get back into art. The Avengers were on a hiatus, so I thought it would the perfect time to try it again. Before I was Captain America, I used art as an escape from my daily life. It was a haven of sorts. At one point I even thought about going to art school. Obviously… that didn’t happen, but I can’t say that I can complain – I’ve worked with some of the greatest heroes Earth has ever seen.” Steve’s gaze found Tony; he smiled softly at him. “However, like I said, we’ve been on a bit of a break. That gave me time to start on some art projects and take an art class. A bit ago, the owner of this art gallery asked me if I was interested in sharing some of my art. At the time, I said no; I was nervous about allowing others to see my art..to see a part of my heart.” He cleared his throat; he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “But then, I realized that art deserves to be shared. To be seen by others. So, tonight I would like to reveal my collection: The Heroes of the Avengers.”

 

He pulled on the rope and the curtain swept to the side, revealing four pieces of art work that lined the wall horizontally. The first piece was of the Avengers sitting in the living room of Avengers Tower, each of them doing something different. Clint was practicing throwing darts with Natasha. Bruce was reading a science book on the couch. Thor was fiddling with a guitar that Tony had bought recently. Tony and Steve sat on the couch, books on their laps, heads turned towards each other.

 

The second piece was of the Avengers facility before it got destroyed by Thanos.

 

The third piece was comprised of the Avengers’ symbols: Steve’s shield, Thor’s hammer, Tony’s Iron Man mask, Clint’s arrow, Natasha’s Black Widow badge, and the Hulk.

 

The last piece was of Tony on the battlefield, the gauntlet on his hand, his eyes glassy. Around him, the once vibrant land was gray, destroyed by Thanos’ attack. On the horizon, the sun could be seen just starting to spread its light over the land.

 

There were murmurs among the crowd; some people applauded. Steve exhaled softly, glad that no one was throwing tomatoes or other fruits at him. He only needed to see one reaction though, so he glanced at Tony. The brunette still stood in front of the crowd; his hand covered his mouth. His eyes were wide. Steve rushed over to him.

 

Tony’s gaze broke away from the art piece that he had been staring at and settled on Steve.

 

“Steve,” he said softly. “…these are incredible.”

 

“You think so?”

 

“Yes,” he replied, without hesitating. His gaze roamed over the paintings again, stopping on the one of himself. “How’d you manage to capture that moment so well?”

 

Steve shrugged. “I just…remembered it. It’s hard to forget.” _It’s hard to forget the moment that I thought that I was going to lose you again._

 

Tony nodded and took a step towards to the paintings. “Can we get a closer look at them?”  

 

“Of course.”

 

He followed Tony to the pictures. 

 

 

 

 

 

After the gallery, they stopped at a pizza place before heading to Tony’s place that he had bought when Pepper and him got divorced. The new place was near Avengers Tower. Tony said that he could walk home, but Steve insisted on taking him home. Tony didn’t protest much, luckily. Steve had hailed a cab and told the driver Tony's address.

 

Steve and Tony sat so close that their thighs touched. Tony’s hand rested in Steve’s. Every so often, they’d turn to look at each other, which made Steve blush. He couldn't believe that tonight had actually happened; he couldn't believe that Tony liked his art. He thought that he would, but Tony's reaction was better than he could have imagined. The man said it was some of Steve's finest work. The car turned down the street of Tony’s new apartment.

 

“You don’t have to walk me to the door,” Tony stated, pulling away from Steve.

 

“Who said I’d do that?” Steve asked, tilting his head to the side.

 

“Well…were you going to?”

 

Steve blushed. “Yes.”

 

The car stopped in front of a tall building made out of red bricks.

 

“See? Which is why I said what I said.” Tony unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. He was about to shut it, but Steve slid out of the car. Tony sighed. “Why do I even bother talking if you’re not going to listen to me?”

 

Steve nudged Tony’s shoulder with his own. “Come on…let me be a gentleman.”

 

Tony sighed, but he didn’t say anything else. Steve took his hand in his again and led him to the front doors of his building. When they reached the doors, Steve turned to look at Tony. Steve opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. All he could focus on was that he had gone on a date with Tony Stark and it had gone _well._ Better than well, actually. Better than he could have possibly imagined.

 

“So,” Tony began. 

 

At that moment, Steve realized just how close Tony was to him. The blonde didn’t let him finish; he closed the distance between them. His stomach fluttered. He stepped closer to him and cupped his cheek, gently guiding him closer to him. Steve's eyes fluttered shut; everything around them disappeared, became background noise.  All that mattered to him was the man in front of him and how that restless feeling that he had been feeling over the last months had finally disappeared, like he no longer was searching for what was missing from his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! 
> 
> Just one more to go!


	33. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens after their first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe that it's finally here! The last chapter. 
> 
> I hope that you guys enjoy it!

Six weeks later, Steve still felt the same way. He had been afraid that the feeling might go away, but it didn’t. He simply became more and more certain that Tony was the missing piece of his heart, his other half. They still obviously had their disagreements and viewed things in different ways, but somehow, it worked. Perhaps it was because by now, they knew each other well - they knew when to give the other space and when to be there for the other. They were like opposite sides of the same coin. Tony had told Steve that one night after their one-month anniversary (Tony had surprised him with a dinner at a restaurant that had just opened and a carriage ride in the park) and Steve couldn’t get out of his mind; he thought that it was a beautiful way to describe them.

 

Despite how well their relationship was going, they still had not publicly announced it. There were rumors that they were a couple, of course, but they ignored those. When paparazzi showed up at Tony’s or Steve’s apartment building, they just walked past them without comment. The pair wasn't afraid of going public, but they didn’t want to be under the public eye more than they already were. They also liked having this part of their life private, away from prying eyes. It allowed them to fully focus on their relationship, not the public's perception of their relationship. They were going to go public eventually, but they wanted to right for the right moment, if there was such a thing.

 

One of the things that they wanted to do before telling the public was to tell Pepper. They wanted her to know before the public knew. They thought about informing Morgan about them, too, but they decided that Pepper could tell her when she felt like the time was right. Tony and Steve also talked about how they would tell Pepper – if it would be the both of them or just Tony. That discussion ended with Tony saying that he’d tell her. Steve had asked him if he was sure and Tony had said yes. Saying that Steve was nervous about Tony telling her was an understatement. After they decided that they were going to tell her, Steve couldn't sleep much and he spent most of his days drawing. Tony said that it would probably go fine, but that didn't make Steve feel any better. After all, Tony had left Pepper to be with him. Pepper had every right to be upset, even if Tony hadn’t known that he wanted to be with Steve when he got a divorce with Pepper.

 

When the day came to tell Pepper, Steve paced around the living room, waiting to hear back from Tony. The brunette had told him that he’d call him once he was on his way back. Finally, Tony reported back. Thankfully, Pepper took it well, or as well as she could’ve taken it. She was disappointed that Tony was already moving on, but she was glad that being with Steve was making him happy. At least, that’s what Tony told Steve. He didn’t know if Tony had been sugarcoating what Pepper said or had actually telling him the truth. Either way, Pepper was fine with them being together and was okay with them announcing that they were a couple.

 

It took a bit for them to figure out how to announce that they were together, but when they got a phone call asking them attend a certain event, they knew that would be the event where they broke the news.

 

 

 

Steve bit his lip as the car pulled up to a familiar driveway. Unlike other times though, the driveway was full of news vans and cars. He glanced at Tony, a question in his eyes.

 

“It’ll be okay, Steve,” Tony replied, seeing the question on his face.

 

“What if it isn’t received well?” He knew that some people obviously wouldn’t be happy with the news, but what if the entire world turned against them?

 

“That won’t happen. Besides…I’ll be right there with you. No matter what happens, we'll get through it together.”

 

He squeezed Steve’s hand, which helped some of the tension in his shoulders melt away. Tony was right – it would be okay. At least, he hoped that it would be.

 

A familiar building came into view as they followed the curve of the driveway. Steve looked up at it, still unable to believe that the building before him was actually real. The car pulled up behind a crowd of people that had gathered in front of the building. On the sides of the crowd, news crews had set up cameras on tripods. In the front of the crowd, Steve could barely make out a small metal stage that had been built for the event. He licked his lips and turned to Tony.

 

“Ready?”

 

Tony slid over to him and kissed his lips gently. “Now I’m ready.”

 

Steve smiled at him and opened the door. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out onto the red carpet. Tony got out behind him and moved close to him, placing his hand on his back. The touch was light, but it settled Steve’s stomach a bit. Tony was right – he wasn’t doing this alone. They were doing it together.

 

He looked down the carpet, where Happy was standing at a podium.

 

“…And I would like to introduce our two guests tonight, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers.”

 

The cameras that were set up turned to them; murmurs coming from the crowd could be heard. Steve flashed the crowd a smile while he walked towards the stage. He climbed up the steps, Tony at his heels. In the back of the stage, a red ribbon was tied to the doors of the facility. Steve glanced at the ribbon before turning towards the crowd. He stepped towards the podium. His stomach churned at the sight of the crowd. There were _so_ many people here. He knew that there’d be a lot, but he didn’t realize quite how many there’d be. He cleared his throat.  

 

“Thank you all for being here today,” Steve started. “Tonight we are celebrating the new Avengers facility, which is comprised of two buildings. There is a building that will act as a home for the Avengers and another one that will act as a workplace for those who work with the Avengers. Today, Tony Stark,” he gestured at Tony. “...and I would officially like to open the facility.”

 

He picked up the scissors that were placed on the podium before moving over to the ribbon. Tony padded over to him so he was standing next to him. The scissors were quite large, so both of them could hold them – Steve held one side while Tony held the other. Together, they cut the ribbon. Applause erupted; clicks of cameras could be heard.

 

“There is one more thing,” Tony said loudly, turning back to the crowd. He moved towards the podium. The applause almost immediately stopped. Steve walked over to Tony so he was standing next to him. “…that I’d like to say.” Steve’s breathing picked up. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Tony glanced at him. Steve swallowed thickly and nodded. He felt Tony’s fingers lace through his own. “There have been a lot of rumors about our dating lives, whether we are dating each other or other people. Today, we’d like to make a statement.” He lifted their hands so the crowd to see. Steve kept his gaze fixed on Tony. “The rumors are right - Steve and I are dating." 

  
The crowd started to yell questions at them, but Steve didn’t care. Oh, no. His attention was on the man next to him, who he had somehow found after all of these years.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your continued support! 
> 
> I hope that you enjoyed this story. 
> 
> There's more to tell about Steve and Tony's story, so there will be a sequel to this story. I hope to post the first chapter of that some time in July, so if you're interested in what happens next, keep an eye out for that!
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who has read this story. This was my first fix-it fic so I was very nervous about writing it. Your support helped me want to continue to write it, so thank you for all of the kudos and comments. They really meant a lot to me.


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